


Weak Points

by RikkuRiddle



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Canon Divergence, Eventual Smut, M/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Sexual Assault, light remake spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-22
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:35:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 32,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23786431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RikkuRiddle/pseuds/RikkuRiddle
Summary: Cloud and Aerith are on an infiltration mission for Avalanche in Wall Market when they meet Corneo's right-hand man, Leslie Kyle, and getting past him turns out to not be as easy as they thought it would be.
Relationships: Leslie Kyle/Cloud Strife
Comments: 99
Kudos: 349





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> There most likely will be explicit sexual content and violence (not combined) later on. I will tag accordingly and will update the character roster.
> 
> This is mostly Remake!canon with a few tweaks.
> 
> Also: I'm looking for a beta reader! If anyone is willing, I'd be very grateful as I'm not a native speaker.

When Leslie stepped out into the inner courtyard of Corneo’s mansion and saw Hal and Jay snapping to attention, he knew they’d been dozing. He raised an eyebrow at them as both deflated with relief.

“Jeez, Les… I thought Corneo himself was showing up,” Hal slumped against the wall with a groan.

Jay joined in on the groan. “It’s been so damn boring all day.”

Leslie ignored their complaining and said, “I’m going out. The don knows I won’t be back ‘til nightfall. If he has a problem before that, he’ll have to deal with it. Don’t-“ He fell silent and frowned at the approaching figures.

One a blonde man in a Soldier-uniform with a ridiculously large sword and the other a woman who looked like a delicate flower with exactly no business in a place like Wall Market. What an odd couple.

The guy’s pace was a little too purposeful for his liking. So he stepped in.

“Not so fast, buddy. Back it up. Got no need for pretty boys here.”

The man frowned. “We’re looking for someone.”

“Let me guess,” Leslie sighed. “First time in Wall Market?”

The frown deepened as the man crossed his arms. “Yeah, so?”

“So people can’t just walk through the don’s front door,” Leslie explained dispassionately and shrugged. “Especially men. No matter who they’re looking for.”

Was he with Soldier? Leslie knew Corneo had on and off dealings with Shinra but the guy didn’t seem to be here on official business. He looked strong despite how lean he was and the fact that he was hardly taller than Leslie himself but the mako glow of his eyes and the muscles…

“How ‘bout me then? Can I go inside?” The woman piped up, her tone hopeful.

Leslie looked at her. Where these two for real? He shrugged again. “Maybe, but you’re gonna wish you didn’t.”

Hal’s excitement was palpable before he decided it was necessary to open his mouth. “Y’know, Leslie, she’s kinda cute. Homely, but cute.”

“Excuse you?” The girl pursed her lips.

Leslie ignored Hal. “’Kinda cute’ is not gonna cut it.”

Turning her pleading eyes back on Leslie, the girl went on undeterred. “C’mon, can’t you help us out?”

“Do you have any idea what you’re getting yourself into?” It took some effort to keep the incredulity out of his voice. Sure, there were always girls foolish enough that tried to get into the don’s good graces for money or influence or out of sheer desperation to keep their families fed but those two looked nothing like it. They just seemed completely clueless what it meant for a woman to go to Corneo.

The man finally seemed to at least have an inkling. “Aerith.” His tone was cautious but before she could see the sense in his unspoken warning, Jay butted in:

“Seriously, Les, she’s not half bad! With a little work, I bet she’d clean up real nice.”

Of course, Jay would say that. Leslie kept his face blank, ignoring him too.

The girl’s face darkened. “Cloud… requesting permission to kill.”

“Denied.”

Leslie watched them with mounting disbelief. Was this some kind of joke? He was tempted to just have them thrown out on their asses. “If it’s the don you wanna see there’s two ways this is gonna happen. You have an appointment which you obviously don’t or the girl joins an audition for which you’re gonna need to get official approval.”

“And who can give us that?” The girl, Aerith (?), crossed her arms.

Today was apparently the day on which he had to explain all the things. Where did those two come from? Did they just walk into Wall Market for the first time this morning and decided to have a little tour around Corneo’s mansion?

With another sigh, Leslie said, “The Trio – the only ones in town who’re considered authorities on Corneo’s particular tastes. First, there’s Chocobo Sam. And then there’s Madam M, over at the massage parlor. Last but not least, there’s the Honeybee Inn’s Andrea Rhodea. They’re an eccentric bunch, to put it mildly, and you should know they don’t recommend just any girl stupid enough to come knocking.”

Leslie couldn’t imagine any of them giving the woman a recommendation. Sure, she wasn’t ugly by a long shot. But considering what the don liked, she was much too plain. Sam wouldn’t go for her and Madam M would be equally bored and Andrea… well, she wouldn’t even get to see Andrea.

“Hmm, duly noted. Thanks for the info. We’ll be back soon.” Aerith seemed to genuinely believe what she said.

They turned to go when Aerith stopped and said, “Oh, wait! How about Cloud?”

Leslie looked from Aerith to Cloud. “What about him?”

“He’s a mercenary. The best there is!” Aerith put her hands on her hips. “I’m sure someone like the don is always in need of strong men working for him?”

From the look on Cloud’s face it was very obvious that that wasn’t an option they’d discussed beforehand.

“Aerith.”

“But-“

“Let’s go.” Without waiting for her, Cloud strode off.

She made to follow but called back, “Keep it in mind! I’ll talk it over with him!”

Crossing his arms, Leslie watched the two retreating forms. He’d had to bite his tongue when hearing Aerith’s proposal because there was no way in hell Corneo would hire someone like this Cloud-guy. He was too young, too intimidating and most importantly too good-looking. Half the girls walking into Corneo’s office would rather sleep with him than the don and the other half would look to Cloud for a rescue.

Corneo always made a point of hiring only men that were passable at best. Leslie didn’t really care what that implication said about him because the last thing he worried about was whether he was deemed attractive to women from Corneo’s point of view.

But objectively speaking, Cloud was attractive and to some obviously intimidating because it had been hard to miss Jay and Hal bristling at the merc's approach.

“You think they’ll be trouble, Les?” Hall asked.

He shrugged. “Dunno. Maybe. Maybe not. We’ll see.”

“That sword looked pretty wicked.” Jay put in.

Leslie huffed. “Who knows if he can swing it.” But he remembered the mako eyes and the Soldier uniform. Cloud probably could be trouble if he wanted to be.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter turned out to be much longer than I first planned but I just love the colosseum so much. xD What an epic event in the game. Updated the character roster a bit. I realised too late that there was a guy among Andrea's entourage but didn't feel like going over the whole thing again (might do it later). I took a few liberties with the materia system, don't think suspending a spell in midair is possible but eh... it was so flashy and extra. xD
> 
> Still looking for a beta reader if anyone is willing. :)
> 
> Oh and... thank you so much for all the kudos!!! :D I'm happy to see so many of you read and liked the story, hope you'll continue to enjoy it in the future!

“Phew, he scared me a bit.” Aerith swung her arms as she caught up with Cloud’s stride.

Cloud frowned. “Who?”

“That- What was his name? Leslie? With the silver hair and the dead stare,” she bristled melodramatically. “There was no emotion in his face,” she said in a hushed voice before giggling.

Cloud figured that this Leslie-fellow had been the one calling the shots among the three, considering how both of the other guys had deferred to him when it came to the talking and decision-making.

And Aerith wasn’t wrong about the guy’s face having been completely devoid of emotion. Cloud didn’t exactly consider himself to be a great judge of character or good at picking up on minor behavioural ticks or nervous habits that would give a person’s true intentions away but with Leslie he doubted anybody would’ve had much to pick up on. Dead stare, indeed.

“Can’t hurt to find out who he was,” Cloud acknowledged. “If only to find out his position in the pecking order.”

After a bit of subtle and not so subtle asking around, it turned out Leslie was at the top of said pecking order. Right below Corneo himself if the gossip could be believed. He was Corneo’s right-hand man and Cloud realised, with some incredulity, that he held quite a bit of respect among the people in Wall Market despite working for the local crime lord.

While people rolled their eyes or laughed, if not openly, at some of Corneo’s goons, there sure was nobody running his mouth about Leslie. The dead-stare came up more than once. He was apparently responsible for running Corneo’s day-to-day business and had the don’s ear when it came to important decisions, so it didn’t look like they would get into the mansion without getting around Leslie first.

Between the lines, some of the people had apparently let drop that Leslie could be understanding and gave second chances if he felt they were deserved but would be equally ruthless if the situation called for it. At least that was what Aerith told him after their reconnaissance because these sort of things had gone right over his head. For someone so young this Leslie sure seemed like an interesting character.

“If it weren’t for his cold eyes, he’d be pretty handsome,” Aerith mused, tapping her chin as they sauntered along one of Wall Market’s many streets which were a lot less busy during the day. The place had a completely different vibe at night.

Cloud threw her a look.

She grinned. “What? You don’t think so?”

“Can’t say I’ve thought about it before.” That wasn’t completely true but the fact that he had noticed Leslie’s looks in the first place had taken him enough by surprise that he felt a bit at a loss of what to make of it. Was it something about the dispassionate yellow eyes?

Maybe he was overthinking this. He wasn’t blind after all and noticing whether somebody was attractive or not didn’t exactly have to mean anything…

Aerith eyed him with a sly smile. “Oh?”

Cloud scowled. “What?”

“Nothing. Nothing!” Clasping her hands behind her back, she walked ahead of Cloud with a giggle.

For some reason it had stuck with him that Leslie had tried to talk Aerith out of going to Corneo. Leslie hadn’t been overt about it but it was noticeable enough that he kept pondering the idiosyncrasy of it. The other two guys had been keen enough about Aerith joining an audition, despite their odd way of showing it.

One way or another, they needed to get to Corneo. In a somewhat discreet manner if possible and while they weren’t under any immediate time constraints, Cloud found that he already didn’t much like Wall Market. So the earlier they got this done, the better. And if all else failed he’d be able to hack through a couple of thugs easily enough. That however would possibly compromise their goal of this whole thing not getting tied to Avalanche.

“You know what’s a good place to get a feel for a place and its people?” Aerith said, interrupting his thoughts.

Before he could ask, she pointed up at a huge billboard that read ‘Corneo Colloseum – Fight to the Death and Get Rich!’ Below it was a smaller poster that said ‘Sign up for the Corneo Cup today and win 1 million gil tomorrow!’

Cloud crossed his arms. An arena?

Aerith grabbed his arm. “Think about it! This seems like a big deal and it’s taking place tomorrow night! We could sign up and if we win, we’ll even make some money on the side.” She sounded much too enthusiastic for Cloud’s liking. 

“What for?“

“I bet everyone of importance will be there and I’m sure some fame can’t hurt to get in touch with the right people,” Aerith was smiling in a way that Cloud knew she’d already made up her mind.

They still had about two days. Who knew what would happen until then? And he couldn’t deny that Aerith’s reasoning wasn’t half bad. This would be a place were a lot of people gathered and if this cup really was such a big deal, maybe even Corneo himself would show up.

Or Leslie.

\----------------------------------------------------------

The clamour in the colosseum was deafening. Unlike the normal fights that took place on a daily basis, the cups were always a big deal. People from all over would show up and place bets on their favoured contestants. Expectedly diverse was the crowd.

Today’s cup was no different.

Leslie headed for the colosseum’s VIP lounge, sighing inwardly. He disliked the cups. They always posed a big security issue and were a pain to set up, and while he could delegate most of these duties, he was expected so sign off on the respective plans in the end.

The upside was that while the fights were taking place, he was usually too busy keeping an eye on the betting, most importantly whether the illegal bets that were always going on, were only the once unofficially sanctioned by Corneo, so he hardly ever had the time to actually watch the fights. Which suited him just fine, since he had little interest in staged combat.

Today was a little different however. When he’d checked the registrations, his eyes had caught on the names “Cloud and Aerith” and since neither of those were very common, he very much doubted those two weren’t the Cloud and Aerith he’d met only a day prior.

Entering the lounge, Leslie caught the looks of Madam M and Chocobo Sam who raised their eyebrows when he walked to the front and leaned against one of the two pillars framing the lounge. He crossed his arms, eyes scanning the crowd.

“Is there any trouble?” Madam M enquired languidly, fanning herself.

Leslie glanced at her. “No.”

“So you’re interested because…?”

Shrugging off her scrutiny, he gave her a placid smile. “No reason.” She didn’t believe him, of course, but he didn’t really care. He’d always gotten along with her well enough because he’d learned to ignore her temper tantrums which, if he was honest, were one of her more interesting features.

The door to the lounge opened and by the many approaching footsteps, Leslie guessed it would be Andrea and entourage. Always fashionably late since the first fights had already ended.

Andrea paused in front of his seat, giving Leslie a sly smile. “Who’s caught your interest?”

Perhaps he should’ve considered that not sitting at the back of the lounge like he usually did would attract some attention but somehow the thought hadn’t crossed his mind.

Keeping his face carefully blank, Leslie said, “You’ll see.”

Andrea’s smile widened into a grin as he sat down with a flourish. “Oh, today is going to be more interesting than I thought.” The Honeybee girls giggled and crowded around him.

That was when Scotch and Kotch announced Aerith and Cloud.

Leslie saw two people entering the arena grounds. It really was them and it turned out Cloud could lift his sword. Aerith was carrying a stick. He could see the glint of materia in both their weapons. So no amateurs?

If he was right and those two were up to something, participating in the Corneo Cup would turn out to be a big mistake. Why show off what you were capable of to all and sundry? Unless you were that confident. Or that stupid.

Aerith looked like a breeze could knock her over, so unless her magic skills were quite substantial, she would be a liability to Cloud. Judging by looks alone, Leslie thought Cloud would be able to tough out the first fight and probably the second but only if Aerith wouldn’t drag him down.

Their first opponent was Wesley the beastmaster and his two bloodhounds.

Leslie thought he could read some alarm in Aerith’s posture. This was starting out well.

But after a moment both got their bearings and Cloud went for Wesley which wasn’t a bad move. Take out the master and the hounds would be in some disarray without orders. If he was able to take him down.

Leslie’s assumption that Aerith knew her way around materia, and quite well too, were confirmed when she started casting spells. She was light on her feet and fast. There was hardly a moment when Cloud needed to step in to keep her from harm’s way.

If he was honest with himself, their fighting styles complemented each other quite well.

They won the first battle with ridiculous ease, to the surprise of everyone in the audience if the level of hoots and shouts were anything to go by.

“What an unexpected turn of events,” Madam M said with relish. “Her looking like a maiden, helpless and fragile and him so stoic and strong. A couple facing off against impossible odds. What a way to play the crowds.”

There was a fifteen minute intermission and Leslie pushed away from the pillar to check with the betting tables when he noticed Andrea watching him but decided to ignore it.

So the merc and his girlfriend could fight.

Leslie found himself wondering what class of Soldier Cloud had been when he had still worked for Shinra. As far as he knew all three classes were treated with mako infusions but apart from that and the rumours about Sephiroth’s death and/or madness along with some mass desertions a few years ago, he knew very little about Shinra’s elite army of fighters.

Maybe the cup would solve the problem of them becoming a potential problem if they managed to get themselves killed. A death in the arena wasn’t a daily occurrence but it happened often enough that nobody would bat an eyelid if it did.

Did those two really know what they had gotten themselves into?

The colosseum had no rules.

Leslie stumbled upon a brawl in the hallway that broke apart almost instantly when the two people involved noticed him coming their way. They apologised, lying how it had only been in good fun. Only half-listening, Leslie jerked his head to the side, signalling for them to leave and fast. They hurried off with mutters of gratitude.

Once the incident in which he’d shot both participants of just such a brawl in the colosseum had made the rounds, they’d had remarkably little trouble.

He wasn’t a fan of needless killing but when neither man had been amenable to his patient iteration of the rules, he’d been disinclined to let them go with only a slap on the wrists. He remembered Corneo’s laughter once the news had reached his ears.

Pushing the door to the betting room open, he went over to Marie who handled the statistics and betting results. Bending over her shoulder, he scanned the computer screens.

“Looks good?”

She nodded. “Yeah, no problems yet.”

“But?”

She smirked at him. “If that couple wins again a lot of people will be very pissed.”

Leslie shrugged. “Tell them about lady luck being a fickle mistress or whatever. You’re the one with the linguistics major. You’ll work it out.”

“Oh, don’t you worry.” Marie leaned back in her seat, her eyes glinting. “I hope they make it. This could get very interesting.”

Marie was from above plate with some boring office job, if he remembered right, but she was a whiz with numbers and loved the atmosphere of the colosseum. Whenever there was a cup she’d be there to handle the larger number of bets and more complicated calculations than what was needed in the colosseum’s day-to-day bets.

“Knock yourself out.”

“Planning to!” She shouted after him.

When the bell signalling the end of the intermission tolled, Leslie stepped back into the lounge and returned to his spot by the pillar just as Scotch and Kotch began their usually spiel of riling up the crowd.

Cloud and Aerith’s next opponent would be Beck’s Badasses. A ragtag group of bandits and cutthroats who were quick on their feet and had a few tricks up their sleeves but judging from what he’d seen in the first fight, would only pose a problem to the “power couple” (Leslie had nearly gagged at the description) due to their numbers.

Both Cloud and Aerith seemed more irritated than afraid when their opponent entered the arena in two waves. Seven against two. Well, that was the colosseum for you.

As expected Cloud hacked through half the group with disconcerting ease, getting hit only by one stun grenade and when that happened, Aerith stepped in in time to shield him from a combined attack of three bandits.

At the beginning of the battle Beck’s Badasses had made the mistake to gang up on Cloud while completely neglecting Aerith as a potential danger but when the smell of singed flesh filled the colosseum they’d realised their mistake quickly enough. Not that it helped them in the end. From the way the battle played out it looked like those two groups had had a previous altercation outside the arena but it seemed Beck’s Badasses had learned little from it.

Cloud and Aerith won the second battle as well.

Andrea and entourage swept out of the lounge for some fresh air, as much as could be had below plate and Leslie followed them into the hallway to avoid Madam M’s and Chocobo Sam’s bickering. Those two had history and he knew rather more about it than he really cared for. The next fight would be against Sam’s five-time champions “Sweepy” and “Cutty”.

Scotch and Kotch came his way with Kotch carrying on towards the lounge while Scotch leaned against the wall with a sardonic smirk, blocking Leslie’s way.

“Heard you already met our two sweethearts.”

Leslie raised his eyebrows at him.

“The guy going to be any trouble?”

Leslie shrugged. “Why don’t you go ask him?”

Scotch grinned. “You know, I might. And while I’m at it, I’ll ask him to stay clear of you.”

“How thoughtful but I’ll be fine.”

“Your type, is he?” There was an odd glint in Scotch’s eyes as he watched Leslie.

“Well, you got me,” Leslie replied blandly.

“Saw you watching the battle.” It seemed this was a topic Scotch needed to discuss in depth.

“And?”

“And you usually don’t.”

“Very observant of you. It must be love.” Leslie had a hard time keeping a straight face.

Scotch scowled. “That mouth of yours will get you into trouble one of these days.”

Leslie smiled coldly. “Gets me out of trouble most days, actually.” Pushing his hands into the pockets of his pants, he sidestepped Scotch when the taller man leaned in as if trying to tower over him. “Look, don’t you have some work to get back to?”

He walked off without waiting for an answer, feeling Scotch’s eyes boring into his back.

Scotch’s odd “advances” which had been few and far between in the past, had – to Leslie’s dismay – grown a little more frequent in the last couple of weeks. He was used to Corneo’s men fucking around (not literally) with each other, to try and determine who could be messed with but after Leslie had ignored or shut down one after the other, they’d gotten along well enough. The more (unpleasantly) surprised had he been when Scotch’s behaviour had started.

It didn’t fit him. He had nothing to prove with his place at the colosseum being quite secure since he was doing a good job together with Kotch. There had never been any animosities between them and since Leslie didn’t participate in the “aftermath” of Corneo’s auditions, there was no chance of them coming to blows over some girl or other.

But… if Scotch would persist with this particular topic, he’d have to sort it out one way or the other.

“You might want to watch that one.”

Leslie paused.

Andrea was leaning against the wall of the hallway that led off towards the entrance, having obviously heard enough of Leslie’s conversation with Scotch that he felt the need to comment. How he'd managed to ditch his girls Leslie would never know. “There are a lot of dark alleys in Wall Market.”

“What? To dump his body in?” Leslie said, a little more bitingly than intended.

Andrea gave him a reproachful look.

Sighing, Leslie pinched the bridge of his nose. “Alright."

"You look exhausted."

Leslie shrugged. "I can’t stand the cups.”

"Except for this time?" A small smile tugged at Andrea's lips.

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, you've been watching for one. The talk is you've already met our unexpectedly successful newcomers."

Leslie groaned inwardly. This again. "Hal and Jay are the worst gossips."

"And how rude you've been to them."

"I'm not rude."

Andrea laughed. "You're rude right now, darling."

Leslie crossed his arms.

"Anyway," Andrea chuckled. “What’s giving you a headache? That merc and his big sword?”

Leslie deadpanned.

Andrea laughed. “Okay, that was terrible.”

“It was.” Leslie ran a hand over his face, trying, and most likely failing, to hide his smile. “But yes. It’s those two. Something is going on.”

“Hmm,” Andrea ran a thumb against his lower lip. “They’ve been asking questions since they arrived. Some about Corneo but mostly about you. Haven’t gone about it very subtly either.”

“So I heard.” Leaning against the wall next to Andrea, Leslie lowered his head in thought.

“What if...” Andrea leaned in, voice barely above a whisper. “They’re after Corneo. Would that be so bad?”

Nostrils flaring, Leslie pushed away and shook his head. He was about to say something when the beginning of the third and final round was announced, cutting across him.

“We should get back.”

They walked back together in silence, Leslie opening the door to the lounge for Andrea and giving him a mock bow that the other man reciprocate with a slight incline of his head before sweeping into the lounge like it was his stage.

Cloud and Aerith as well as Sam’s machines were already in position. The crowd was now well and truly losing it. “Cutty” and “Sweepy” had been five-time winners of the Corneo Cup. While the newcomers had exceeded everyone’s expectation, nobody really expected them to win against two frankly ferocious looking machines.

Sam smiled smugly, basking in Madam M’s glower.

Leslie studied the two lone figures in the arena. If one or both of them had lightening materia…

The screeching of metal against metal was earsplitting when the fight began, the whining of the chainsaws almost as loud as the audiences shouts and screams. Leslie watched with a frown.

It was easy enough for a sword to slice through flesh and bone but metal? The strength and stamina needed to take the third round’s opponents out was substantially greater which was also the reason why they hadn’t been beaten for quite a while. After two previous rounds most contestants were at least a little exhausted. Being then pitted against a foe that knew no exhaustion usually had the desired psychological effect.

But if anything, Cloud and Aerith appeared more determined to win than ever.

This would be interesting.

Aerith had indeed lightening materia. The crowd erupted at the first lightning strike. Marie would be busy in the betting room.

Leslie leaned forward involuntarily when Cloud closed in on Cutty, rolling through the machine’s attack with its chainsaw arm and landing a clean hit on Cutty’s left leg. The impact of metal against metal was jarring but the ex-soldier seemed to shake it off as if it was nothing.

There was an almost imperceptible spark of lightning running along Cloud’s sword. Leslie’s eyes widened. He had a lightning materia linked. Was this a coincidence? Nobody was this lucky.

Another lightning bolt struck Sweepy, momentarily paralysing it. Aerith followed it up with a second spell almost immediately afterwards and for a moment complete silence fell over the crowd. Her affinity to materia was like nothing anyone in the colosseum had ever seen. Despite appearances, casting wasn’t as simple as it looked, which meant it usually took a minute or two to prepare the materia, so its inane power could be used. Whatever Aerith had just done was almost unheard of.

Who were those two?

A collective gasp went through the audience when Cloud was knocked aside as Cutty used it’s rail attack and slammed him into the arena’s wall. Aerith was at his side a moment later, distracting Cutty with another spell and giving Cloud time to get his bearings. Considering the force with which Cutty had barrelled into Cloud and his subsequent impact with the wall, it wasn’t a given that he’d get back up.

But he did.

It took them another minute, two at most to finally down the first machine, sending the audience into a frenzy. And for the first time their victory was an actual possibility.

Both Aerith and Cloud started to look a little exhausted.

The rest of the battle seemed to happen almost in fast-forward. Only slowing down when Cloud hacked Sweepy’s left arm off and causing the limb to fly across half the arena due to the chainsaw’s momentum and when Aerith twisted away behind Cloud, her hand brushing his arm, leaving a pale green light behind.

Contact wasn’t necessary to work a healing spell but the motion seemed to have been a signal too as their eyes met and both gave an almost imperceptible nod.

Aerith stepped back towards the edge of the arena, head lowered over her clasped hands. She was weaving a higher level magic spell, Leslie knew as small sparks started to fill the air around her. But why had she backed away this far?

Both Leslie and the audience got the answer only moments later when Aerith raised her staff and the lightning spell manifested with a loud crack above Sweepy but appeared to freeze in mid-air. Cloud jumped up above the machine which must’ve been close to five or six metres, his sword connecting with the suspended lightning spell before he drove both through Sweepy’s head.

Cloud was swept back by the explosion but caught just in time by another of Aerith’s spells.

Complete silence filled the colosseum as the second machine crumbled into a pile of parts in the middle of the arena. When the ecstatic cheers and shouts erupted, they shook the colosseum stands and Leslie noticed he’d been holding his breath.

They had actually won.

Sam jumped up and stormed out of the lounge with a disgusted noise.

Leslie felt his phone vibrating in his jacket pocket and pulled it out as Cloud and Aerith left the arena grounds. The name on the display was Corneo. With a sinking feeling in his stomach, he stepped out into the much quieter hallway and answered.

There was a lot of shouting on the other end that didn’t sound angry however. Grimacing, Leslie tried to pick out single words to make sense of Corneo’s incoherent stream of noise when he heard ‘Hell House’ and froze.

“Sir?”

“I want a fourth round! Send out the Hell House!” Corneo hollered, by now almost hoarse.

Why was he surprised? He should’ve seen this coming. A text from Marie had just come in too with the first betting projections. The numbers were insane. “I’ll see to it, sir.”

Slipping the phone back into his pocket, he went to the announcer’s stand to inform Scotch and Kotch who were, true to form, thrilled at the prospect of another round, especially one involving the Hell House. 

Afterwards his feet carried him to the entrance. He reached behind one of the ticket counters, grabbing a piece of paper and a pen and wrote a few hasty notes before scanning the people for those that always got underfoot. Little boys and girls that were looking to make a quick gil by buying drinks or food for the well-to-do attendees that couldn’t be bothered waiting in line themselves.

Leslie caught one child and pulled it aside. “You know how to sneak downstairs?”

The little girl gave him a cheeky grin. “’course.”

“Good,” Leslie held out the folded note and ten gil. “Take this to Cloud. You know who that is, right?”

“Are you kidding?” Her eyes had grown big as saucers but then she sobered up and nodded with as much sobriety as a child her age could muster. “It’ll reach him faster than you can say-”

“Great. Then go and make sure nobody else gets their hands on the note, alright?”

She nodded. “Who should I say it’s from?”

“Nobody.”

“Righto.” And she was off.

Leslie watched her vanish between two people, wondering what the hell he was doing. Bits and pieces of conversation reached him but he drowned them out as he walked back to the VIP lounge.

Part of him would’ve preferred giving the note directly to either Cloud or Aerith but his presence downstairs wouldn’t have gone unnoticed and the questions that would invariably follow wouldn’t be so easy to dodge when you’d never given a damn about the fights before. The other part of him didn’t want them to know.

If the note ended up in the wrong hands and in hands who knew his handwriting no less, he’d be in trouble.

Too late for regrets now.

The lounge was still deserted when he returned. It would take some time until the fourth fight could begin. The arena needed to be prepared and most importantly a few extra security measures had to be implemented to keep the crowd safe. The Hell House could be as much of a danger to them as it was to its unfortunate opponents.

Or maybe they should be called victims because so far nobody had ever won against the Hell House. Nobody had survived a fight against it either.

Wasn’t that what he’d been hoping for? For this problem to solve itself?

Aerith and Cloud had been good. In fact, they’d been incredible, better than anyone could’ve ever guessed but the Hell House was something else. It was specifically designed to be unbeatable. This was Corneo’s Colosseum after all and his champion.

Nobody ever beat Corneo.

‘You’re in the don’s world now,’ somebody had once said to him and they hadn’t been wrong.

Leslie looked up as the door to the lounge opened and Andrea and his girls came in. Seeing Leslie, Andrea raised his hand, gesturing for his beehive to wait outside before closing the door and walking over to Leslie with an uncanny expression.

“What have you done?” Andrea mouthed.

Something cold twisted in the pit of his stomach. How did he know? Did he know? His only saving grace was that Leslie knew none of his alarm was showing on his face. “What are you talking about?”

Looking out across the almost empty colosseum, Andrea said, “You’ve done something. What is it?”

The relief flooding him, almost had him take a deep breath but he kept himself in check. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“Did you know about the fourth round?”

“No.”

Andrea nodded. “I’m thinking… if they do win.” A small smile was back on his lips. “I might have to meet those two. I don’t think anyone’s seen a fight quite like that last one before. Such a shame Corneo doesn’t know when to end the evening on a high note.”

Keeping the contempt from his voice, Leslie said, “For Corneo the evening will end on a high note, no matter the outcome.”

“Well, you’re not wrong.” Andrea sighed. “Let’s hope they’ll surprise us a fourth time.”

Leslie shrugged noncommittally. Even with the note, if it had reached them, it would be close to a miracle if they managed to survive the fight, let alone win it. 

Andrea pursed his lips at Leslie. “That face really is wasted on you, darling,” he admonished gently.

Leslie raised an eyebrow at him. They’ve had this topic before, several times, and Leslie really wished they wouldn’t revisit it. Unlike a job at the Honeybee Inn, working for Corneo didn’t require a wealth of facial expressions or a constant smile. Exactly the opposite actually. So he really didn’t see the problem. 

“Nevermind,” Andrea chuckled. “But it would be nice to know if you cared occasionally.”

Leslie huffed a laugh. 

“It’s a good thing I know you better than most. Or I might think you had no heart.” 

Andrea wasn’t wrong. He’d known Leslie since before he’d started working for Corneo, since before Merle, since before a lot of things… The thought left a bitter taste in his mouth. 

“Sometimes I wish you didn’t.”

The rest of the intermission flew by without incident. Marie was having the time of her life which she texted him, repeatedly. Leslie avoided going back down to the betting rooms. With the announcement of the fourth round and Corneo’s absence from this Cup, Leslie was the closest thing to authority they had when it came to knowledge about the Hell House. He didn’t feel like ending the evening by being inundated by desperate betters. 

The atmosphere in the colosseum when the fourth round finally did start was sheer pandemonium. 

When the gate in the middle of the arena slowly opened and the Hell House emerged from the pits of the colosseum, Leslie realised that he didn’t feel like watching this particular fight. 

For the first time during this cup, he retreated to the chair at the back of the lounge that he usually occupied, earning him glances from Madam M and Chocobo Sam once more. 

Despite the excitement being palpable in the air, there was also a lot of obvious apprehension. It seemed not just a few of the audience had grown to like their “power couple” and seeing them now facing something that looked like certain death, didn’t leave them quite as unaffected as Leslie would’ve thought. Most were still clamouring for bloodshed however. 

Leaning back in his chair, Leslie folded his arms across his chest and lowered his head. His cap and hair obscuring his face as he drummed his fingers on his upper arm. 

The crowd’s reactions to everything that went down in the arena set his teeth on edge but he didn’t get up to watch. It didn’t matter either way. His note would barely change anything and when they finally were defeated or killed, he thought he much preferred not seeing the aftermath of the fight. If they were killed… his concerns about them would simply go away. One less problem to worry about. 

And should they win… 

The thought made him angry at himself. Hope was such a useless emotion. More often than not holding on to it just made everything worse in the end. He would know. 

It must’ve been at least half an hour if not longer when a deafening roar went through the audience and only seconds later fireworks exploded over the arena grounds, the lights and sparkles filling the air before raining down on the crowd. 

Leslie rose from his chair when he caught sight of the screen and saw Aerith and Cloud being displayed in turns and froze mid-motion. 

No way. 

Andrea was watching him with a satisfied smile, looking as pleased as if he had something to do with the couple’s victory. 

Corneo would be furious about the costs to rebuilt the Hell House but if Leslie was right, today’s bets will have easily made him thrice that money and then some. 

There was a lot of commotion down in the arena, people were throwing flowers into the sand, punching the air or staring at each other in disbelief. It was safe to say that while a few hopeless romantics had bet on Aertih and Cloud, the more level-headed majority had bet on the Hell House. 

Leslie stepped up to the railing of the lounge and looked at the motionless Hell House at the side of the arena, sunken in on itself and still on fire here and there. The ground was littered with bits and pieces of it, the sand scorched black in places and frost still clung to some parts of the arena wall. And amidst the chaos stood Cloud and Aerith, looking worse for wear but still very much alive. 

If the Hell House hadn’t stopped them… what would?

His fingers dug into the railing until his knuckles turned white. The thoughts of strengthening the mansion’s security were almost automatic but really, what difference would a few more men make in the face of tonight’s cup’s outcome?

Short of having them dropped into the sewers, Leslie doubted there was much they could do.

Turning away from the arena, Leslie strode off. The colosseum would be busy for at least a few more hours and after the last guest had left the clean-up would begin. He’d return later to check on things. 

Leslie was leaving the colosseum through a side exit to avoid the crowds when somebody grabbed him and, before he could pull free, pushed him up against the wall. It turned out to be Scotch.

Glaring at the taller man, Leslie raised his chin. “Are you drunk?” Because either that or the influence of drugs were the only instances in which he’d be willing to overlook (if not without some sort of reprimand) Scotch’s current behaviour. 

A self-satisfied smile played over Scotch’s lips. “Quite the fight that was, huh?”

“What do you want?”

A throaty laugh. “Oh, you know exactly what I want.” The hand that was reaching up to touch Leslie’s cheek stilled when Leslie pressed his gun against Scotch’s midriff.

“You sure you wanna continue in this vein?”

Grimacing, Scotch stepped back. “Always so touchy. It’s all in good fun.”

Was it though? Leslie brought some distance between them, the safety clicking back into place. “Let me be clear, the next time you try something like this, you won’t get a warning.”

For a moment it looked like Scotch was going to argue with him but he obviously thought better of it and stormed off with a saturnine look. 

Leslie watched him leave before he relaxed and put the gun away, swallowing the bile at the back of his throat. Scotch was getting very pushy, Andrea hadn’t been wrong. 

His hand strayed back to his gun when he saw another figure from the corner of his eyes.

It was Cloud and Aerith.

From the concerned expression on Aerith’s face he knew they had seen more of the scene than he’d preferred. Turning away, Leslie made to leave when Cloud called after him. Reluctantly, he halted and looked back over his shoulder. “What?”

“Why did you help us?”

So the little urchin had spilled the beans. He couldn’t say he was surprised but he doubted this information would go further, since the girl would have no concept of how valuable it was. “Don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“The girl pointed you out,” Cloud continued undeterred. “And there aren’t a lot of man with silver hair and yellow eyes around.”

No kidding. Leslie shrugged, unimpressed. “That kid would rob her own mother for money. You believe everything people tell you?”

Cloud frowned. 

“Well, it doesn’t really matter,” Aerith piped up. “Do you know, we received an invitation from Andrea Rhodea!?” She sounded thrilled, like a child going to a fair. 

Was this really the woman with the impressive magic skills everyone had just witnessed? 

Leslie raised his eyebrows at her. “Good for you.”

“Oh, that reminds me,” Aerith went on blithely and rummaged in her satchel before producing a pen and paper. “We forgot to ask where the Honeybee Inn is. Could you give us the address or draw a map? Please?” 

She couldn’t be serious. But the thrust out pen and paper told him otherwise. It was hard brushing her off with that doe-eyed look which, Leslie was sure, she was counting on. Irritated with himself, he walked over and grabbed the pen when realisation hit him and he couldn’t help but laugh as he held the pen back out to her. “Clever.” 

Towards Cloud he said, “You should keep her around, she’s not as stupid as you.”

Aerith took the pen back with a rueful yet cheeky smile. “Worth a try, I guess? Anyway, whoever did help us definitely saved our lives. So we’re very grateful. If you happen to know them, let them know, yeah?”

Leslie had a hard time suppressing a smile. How annoying they were. “Sure, whatever.”

“We owe you,” Cloud said when Leslie turned to leave. 

“Like I said, don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

“We’ll be in town for a bit,” Cloud went on. “If you need help with that guy, let me know.”

It was a good thing, Leslie had already turned away, so neither could see his face. Of all the things he would’ve expected them so say, that particular one had not been among them. 

“I can take care of myself.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will definitely take longer than the first three but I was on a roll, so I thought why not post it. :) 
> 
> The quote that Cloud "remembers" is by Winston Churchill. xD It's one of my favourite quotes because it's so funny. 
> 
> Beta position is still open if anyone would like to help out. :) 
> 
> And once again: omg, you guys!!! Thanks soooo much for the kudos and lovely comments! They made me smile so much! I'm super happy that you're enjoying this story and doing my best to not take too long with future chapters. Seriously, though, it was so lovely reading how much you enjoyed the story so far, can't express that enough. :D

“Jeez, look at my dress,” Aerith pulled up her skirt and wrinkled her nose at the singed hem. “I don’t know about you but I’m going shopping. With all that prize money, I think we deserve it.”

Cloud smiled, shaking his head and wincing at the stab of pain in his side.

Noticing Cloud’s grimace, Aerith hopped off the wall she’d sat on and stood in front of him, tilting her head to the side. “But let’s get you patched up first, shall we?” Before he could protest, she had carefully linked her arm through his and began pulling him along. 

They had rented a little room in one of Wall Market’s many hotels, guest houses, shacks… whatever you wanted to call them. It was clean and cosy and served their needs just fine. 

“What nasty business,” Aerith went on. “If Leslie hadn’t helped us, we would’ve been up to our necks in trouble. Good thing he did though.”

Cloud made a noncommittal noise, watching the people that passed them by while hoping to high heaven that none of them wanted to talk about Corneo’s Cup. It had taken them literal ages to escape the colosseum, what with the crowds wanting to congratulate them on their victory, commiserate with them about injuries sustained, offering to buy drinks or gifts or what have you. As much as was possible Cloud had hung back and let Aerith do the talking. She was so much better at that sort of thing. 

He’d only stepped in when some of the male audience started to get too pushy. There had been a few female spectators quite enamoured with Aerith as well but they had been sweet and well-behaved and he’d let Aerith have her fun after she’d thrown him a wide-eyed look. 

Cloud on the other hand had tried to deter any possible flirtations with scowls. Which had worked as well as you’d expect. 

In the end they’d managed to collect their prize money and gotten the hell out of there. 

Just as Aerith had suspected, people’s general interest in them had risen tenfold due to their victory and when a girl in a bee’s outfit had approached them, handing them an elaborately decorated envelope, they knew they were taking a step forward. Andrea Rhodea had invited them for a private audience at the Honeybee Inn for the next day. 

“Oh, c’mon,” Aerith rolled her eyes. “You didn’t really believe his shoddy excuse, did you?”

Cloud frowned. 

“If it hadn’t been his handwriting, which by the way, really nice for a guy,” Aerith snickered. “He could’ve just written down the Honeybee Inn’s address. But he didn’t.”

So that’s what that whole thing had been about. He hadn’t asked Aerith about it afterwards because Leslie’s comment had annoyed him and he felt he should’ve worked out the meaning by himself. 

“It’s still possible that it wasn’t him,” Cloud said doggedly. 

“Sure, anything’s possible,” Aerith replied airily. “I wonder why he did it though. I mean… he denied it when confronted. Makes no sense.”

It seemed Aerith had made up her mind about the note’s author. 

“And why help us out in the first place,” Cloud pointed out.

Aerith pursed her lips, furrowing her brows. “That too.” Resting her head against Cloud’s shoulder, she stopped them in front of the apothecary. “I’ll head in and get us some supplies.” Despite her words, she didn’t move but continued to study the sign of the shop. 

“What is it?”

“I just thought… offering Leslie our help with that creep was a nice touch,” she smiled up at him. 

Cloud opened his mouth, frowned and closed it again. 

Aerith’s smile widened. “Oh, I know you meant it. And really, if you hadn’t offered, I might’ve but I’m also pretty sure he didn’t expect that. Could work in our favour, you know, with appearing harmless. Though he does now know we’re no push-overs.”

Cloud looked down at her. “Are you still going into the shop?”

Letting go of him, she skipped up the stairs and rolled her eyes. “Jeez, so pushy.”

Sometimes Aerith’s hunches were uncanny, that and her penchant for incessantly analysing everyone’s actions and reactions. She would contemplate a certain tone of voice for hours, turning possible meanings over in her head. Cloud got a headache just watching her think sometimes but her obsessive quirk usually worked in their favour so he didn’t complain. 

It was the middle of the night and Wall Market was bustling with people. He turned his back to the shop entrance and scanned the masses pushing through the cramped alleys. Half of them drunk, the other half on the way of getting there. 

After the events at the colosseum Cloud wasn’t all that opposed to getting a drink himself. His ribs hurt from where a damn chair of all things had crashed into him and he was pretty sure he had a small laceration at the back of his head from when he got slammed into the wall. Aerith’s materia had closed the wound to last him through the fights but his hand had come away bloody again after he’d moved too much. 

It was pointless to count the assortment of minor or major bruises and cuts that covered the rest of his body. A potion or two, along with some healing spells would sort that out but one of his ribs was at least cracked if not broken. It wasn’t something he worried about too much because if anything Aerith was an accomplished healer but the sooner they took care of it the better. 

Aerith had gotten out almost unscathed as he’d managed to step in whenever she’d been in a tight spot, which was a relief. He remembered the one time he’d stood over her unconscious body after a fight in the slums and it wasn’t a moment he cared to revisit ever again if he could help it. 

He recognized the pattern of Aerith’s footsteps as she returned from the shop and rested her chin on Cloud’s shoulder, following his line of sight. 

“So much frowning,” she murmured. “Wanna get a drink later?”

Cloud huffed a laugh. “I thought you’d never ask.”

Cleaned and patched up and with a new change of clothes, they were back on Wall Market’s streets roughly an hour later. It must’ve been close to two in the morning but with the adrenaline from the fights, neither of them would be getting much sleep that night anyway. 

Aerith had linked her arm through Cloud’s again as they made their way through several main streets and side alleys before settling on a small, clean-looking bar that wasn’t occupied by quite as many dodgy-looking characters as most of the others. 

Cloud ordered a whisky on the rocks and Aerith a colourful cocktail. 

Stretching her arms above her head, she leaned back in her seat with a satisfied sigh. “I have a good feeling about this mission.”

“How come?” He nipped on his drink, watching the other patrons and the occasional newcomers. They had chosen a table where they had their backs to the wall and could overlook the rest of the bar. 

Aerith shrugged, propping her elbows on the table and resting her chin on her intertwined fingers. “I think it’ll be fun. That Corneo’s a scumbag, so putting the fear of god in him will be exactly what he deserves. And if he really has the information Tifa and Barret are looking for...”

Cloud nodded. “Let’s hope he does.”

Unbidden, his thoughts returned to Leslie’s emotionless eyes and lethargic shrugs. Despite Scotch’s build, when the man had cornered Leslie, he didn’t seem to have been affected at all. 

‘I can take care of myself.’ Maybe he could. Staying at the top of Corneo’s gang for as long as Leslie apparently had, couldn’t be easy. If you fell over at the first resistance, you wouldn’t get the chance to get back up again. 

While he couldn’t deny respecting the man’s obvious ability to take no bullshit, he was also somewhat angry at Leslie. The guy clearly wasn’t stupid, so why throw in with someone like Corneo? It irked him. Maybe more than it should. This was exactly the reason why guys like Corneo stayed in power. He had the money and a guy with enough brains to make sure he kept it. 

But who was he to talk, what with having worked for Shinra as long as he did. 

“I hope Andrea can give me some pointers on where to shop in Wall Market,” Aerith said thoughtfully. “I’m thinking maybe a change of style? After the colosseum, nobody’s buying my helpless country-girl look anymore, so I might as well go for something badass.” 

Cloud laughed into his drink. “You sure about this?”

Tipping her head back, she frowned at the ceiling. “Yeah, maybe not.” She looked at Cloud sideways. “I could cut my hair?” 

He raised an eyebrow at her. “Please don’t, I like your hair.”

“Aww!” Aerith blew him a kiss. “Look at you, saying something nice for once!”

Cloud’s lips twitched as he finished his drink and signalled for another one. It had been a move of rare genius by Tifa when she had teamed him up with Aerith. One which he hadn’t appreciated until quite a while later. Aerith’s cheerful and sometimes frankly intrusive behaviour had grated on him at first but she had grown on him since then. So much so, that he couldn’t really imagine working without her. 

Maybe it had been around the time when he’d faced the facts about some of his own shortcomings. He wasn’t a talker, bandying words with slick merchants or wily cutthroats wasn’t exactly his forte. But sometimes, he was loath to admit, that was exactly the approach they needed. It set his teeth on edge just listening to the pointless drivel, so having Aerith handle that subset of problems had been a great relief. 

He knew his way around the battlefield as well as the more practical things and so sometimes it was him talking the people around who thought just like him. How had Aerith put it? There was a key for every lock and she wasn’t wrong. 

“How’s your rib?” Aerith sucked at the straw of her cocktail. 

Cloud leaned back in his seat, feeling a light twinge. “It’s fine. Had worse.” 

She rested her chin onto her upturned palm, looking at him with a warm expression. “Don’t I know it.”

There was a commotion at the entrance to the bar which had them both looking up. A man had grabbed a woman’s arm, trying to pull her along as she struggled. 

Cloud rose with a frown. “I’ll be right back.”

“Don’t forget what I told you.”

As he approached the “couple”, he noticed the glances he received from other patrons, all of which were by now aware of the altercation at the door. The man appeared quite drunk, his face red as he hissed at her to ‘shut the hell up’ and ‘you owe me for last time’. She unsuccessfully tried to pull away. Her dress was scanty to say the least, her make-up a little on the heavy side and Cloud realised that she might very well be a prostitute. 

“Is there a problem?” He asked as neutrally as possible. 

“Piss off! This is none of your business!” The man spat, too drunk to be intimidated by Cloud’s appearance alone. “Slut scammed me last time.”

Cloud looked at her.

She lowered her eyes and only mumbled, “It’s fine.” 

Looking back at Aerith, Cloud saw her nod. Alright, here goes nothing. “Are you already busy tonight?”

Both her and the drunkard looked so surprised that neither spoke for a moment. Then she flushed and glanced at her companion. “Um… no, not really.”

Cloud looked back at the guy as if daring him to contradict her but he was too stunned to managed more than ‘er’ and ‘no’. The woman glanced back at were Aerith sat who waved at her cheerfully. 

Holding his hand out to her, Cloud said, “Great. Let’s go, we’ll buy you a drink.” On the way back to their table, Cloud threw Aerith a look that hopefully conveyed how this was possibly the worst moment of his life. Though the worst thing (or arguably the best) was how well Aerith’s plan had worked. 

How was that woman so damn discerning? 

When they sat down at the table, Aerith clasped the woman’s hands across the table and smiled brightly. “I’m Aerith. Has that dirtbag bothered you before?”

“I’m Izzy and um… I shouldn’t really talk about other customers.” She shook herself. “Do you two really want to…?” 

Cloud sipped his drink, not even looking at either of them. 

“No.”

Cloud would never know how Aerith managed to make a rejection sound like the nicest and most empathic thing ever. Talk about letting somebody down gently. What was the saying Cloud had heard once? Tact is the ability to tell someone to go to hell in such a way that they look forward to the trip? Whoever that had been, they must’ve gone far in the world. 

“We’ll pay you for your time of course, and feel free to stay with us,” Aerith continued cheerfully. “He’s not the most talkative, but don’t worry, I easily make up for it.” 

Izzy smiled shyly. “Thank you.” 

Without the make-up she was probably quite young, Cloud realised. 

“Um, I don’t hate my job,” she said, apparently feeling the need to explain herself. “It’s just… he’s known to cause trouble with the girls. I should probably tell the don’s men about him.” 

Aerith perked up. “Oh? They deal with that sort of thing?” 

“Well, Leslie does.” Izzy said, sipping on the cocktail Aerith had ordered for her. “I wasn’t here back then but some of the older girls have told me how he’d broken up several disputes between customer and escort. But it’s difficult to tell who’s telling the truth, you know? So he’d told them to draw up a contract to avoid future disagreements. That went as well as you might expect… customers turned down girls who wanted a contract and well… things didn’t really improve until a girl was found dead. Somebody tipped the don’s men off about a guy who’d been seen with her only a few hours prior and um… Leslie shot him. There was some pushback from both customers and escorts because it scared the customers to be held responsible without real proof and the escorts were worried about losing revenue.”

“And then?” Aerith had folded her arms on the table and rested her chin on top of her arms, obviously riveted by Izzy’s story who in turn seemed to enjoy the attention. 

“He made his position on the issue quite clear and let everyone know that in the event of insufficient evidence he’d hold both parties responsible and would ‘deal with them’ accordingly. But he also reiterated the point how much of the unpleasantness could be avoided if a contract proved what was agreed upon, for how much and by whom. And after that the idea had caught on.” Izzy took another sip of her drink and shrugged. “Sure there’s always a way around things, what with forgeries and coercion, but Leslie seems to have a knack for determining who’s telling the truth and who isn’t.”

“He sounds very thorough,” Aerith mused. 

Izzy nodded. “Yeah, lots of girls like him. They say they feel safer now.”

“So he’s getting freebies from them?” Aerith grinned. 

Izzy laughed. “I’m sure he would. But… as far as I know, he has not taken any girl up on it.”

“Oh?”

This was not important to their mission in any way, shape or form, Cloud thought with growing irritation. At least he couldn’t see how it could be. You couldn’t blackmail a guy for not frequenting brothels and with Corneo’s men he very much doubted that that would be a problem in any case. Then why was Aerith so interested in the topic? 

“Well, some of the don’s men don’t really frequent escorts what with the windfall after the auditions but rumour has it that Leslie’s not involved in that either.” 

Apparently escort was the polite way in Wall Market to say prostitute. 

“What windfall?” 

Izzy looked at them both and smiled. “You’re new here, huh?” Then something seemed to dawn on her and her eyes widened. “Wait… what did you say your names were?”

“Aerith and Cloud,” Aerith supplied. 

“No way,” Izzy stared. “You’re the couple that won Corneo’s Cup?!” She beamed at Aerith’s nod, only to immediately deflate a little. “Man, it’s such a shame. You sure you’re not interested to…?”

“Sweet of you to offer but no thanks,” Aerith had that bright smile plastered onto her face again. 

“Ah, well,” Izzy took the turndown well enough, which wasn’t that surprising, considering that she was still getting paid. “So yeah, the don always has three girls to choose from in an audition and the two he doesn’t pick go to his men.” 

“Ugh, what a slimeball.” Aerith grimaced and emptied her cocktail in one big swallow. “I think, I need another drink.”

Izzy laughed. 

It was getting light outside, Cloud noticed and yet Wall Market was as busy as can be. He drowned out Aerith’s and Izzy’s conversation, turning their next possible moves over in his head. 

Andrea Rhodea was one of Corneo’s trio. His invitation had come as a surprise to them, despite their hopes that the cup would lead exactly to such an outcome. From their inquiries they’d learned that getting an appointment with Andrea was nigh on impossible what with the next three years being completely booked, so their only way had been to catch Andrea’s attention. What exactly that had meant they hadn’t known but it seemed things had worked out in their favour anyway.

What they could hope to gain from their meeting with the eccentric Honeybee Inn owner would have to be determined. Ideally he wasn’t happy with Corneo’s management of Wall Market and would be willing to help them in some way or other. 

At worst, they’d waste an afternoon but since they weren’t on a schedule, they really only had a lot to gain and nothing to lose. Unless this invitation was a trap somehow, but Cloud doubted it. 

Invariably Cloud’s thoughts found their way back to Leslie. 

Why help them and then deny it? No matter which way he turned it, it made no sense. Was there some angle he hadn’t considered? One logical conclusion might’ve been that Leslie liked them? Somehow? Or at least didn’t want them to die for whatever reasons? 

But the two times they’d met, Leslie had been dismissive at best and hostile at worst. So them snuffing it in the colosseum should’ve worked out in his favour. Why sabotage that? 

Cloud finished his second drink and definitely needed a third one. He felt a headache coming on.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter didn't take as long as I'd feared. :D Your lovely comments and kudos most certaintly helped my inspiration, haha! Thank you so much!
> 
> As you'll notice my story won't follow the game's storyline which was why I switched up some of the dialogue of the first chapter a little. The dancing in the Honeybee Inn was probably my favourite thing of the Remake. xDD I hardly managed to press any of the right buttons the first time around because I was laughing and crying and sweating. *lol* But it made no real sense to write the scene for the story since the direction is a different one.
> 
> Enjoy! :)

It was the morning after the Corneo Cup and Leslie was on the way to Corneo’s mansion. 

He’d had a shower, some coffee and maybe two hours of sleep. The memory of why he hated cups was very fresh on his mind to put it mildly. 

When Corneo had made him his right-hand man, Leslie had wrestled the concession of renting a small flat for him in Wall Market from him because by then he’d been sick and tired of sleeping with five to six other men in a room that was constantly littered with every bit of garbage imaginable. Especially when there was always someone who was doing anything but sleeping. 

Leslie couldn’t remember how he’d managed to get any sleep at all during that time. 

A few locals were cleaning up in front of their respective shops and bars, calling out greetings to Leslie which he reciprocated politely, asking how business was. Other than that the streets were almost deserted at this time in the morning. 

Where would he go once this was over? This was his home no matter how much of a shithole it was…

He was approaching the bridge that separated Corneo’s estate from the rest of Wall Market when he froze at the sound of rapid footfalls and turned around to see… Cloud coming his way? A moment later he realised the other man wasn’t really heading his way but rather seemed to be out for a jog. 

Turning away, Leslie didn’t mean for them to meet when a gust of wind took his cap off and sent it hurtling into the air. Cursing under his breath, he followed the cap with his eyes as it flew vaguely in Cloud’s direction who snatched it out of the air and looked at it before looking up and noticing Leslie.

Slowing his pace, Cloud walked over and held out the cap silently. 

Leslie took it back with a curt ‘thanks’, running a hand through his hair before putting the cap back on. 

“You’re up early,” Cloud commented.

“Could say the same about you.” 

There was an odd tension in the air that Leslie couldn’t place. 

Cloud was wearing a white t-shirt over a black long-sleeved top and dark blue tracksuit pants. The different clothes made him appear unusually relaxed. And he wasn’t carrying his sword either. 

“Just going for a run,” Cloud shrugged in a way that suggested an added ‘as you can see’.

“The arena wasn’t exhausting enough?” Leslie pushed his hands into his pants pockets, wondering how to end this conversation before it could really begin. 

There was some mirth showing in Cloud’s eyes. “Aerith thought the same.”

Ah yes, the girlfriend. 

“Congratulations on the victory,” Leslie said, realising he hadn’t done so yesterday and he wasn’t above acknowledging somebody else’s achievements.

“Thanks.” Cloud nodded towards the mansion. “I’m guessing Corneo wasn’t pleased?”

The question seemed innocent enough. 

“He was, actually. Since most people betted against you, he made a lot of money.” Leslie shrugged. Time to end the conversation. Instead he found himself contemplating the fact that Cloud wasn’t wearing any gloves as he noticed the abrasion on the knuckles of his right hand and said, “Souvenir from the colosseum?”

Cloud looked at his hand as if noticing the injury for the first time. “Oh, yeah.” He chuckled. “I guess you could say that. The cracked rib will remind me a little longer though.” 

Leslie raised an eyebrow. Considering the last two fights in the colosseum, it would’ve been surprising if Cloud hadn’t sustained at least some injuries but because the ex-soldier had hidden any discomfort so well, Leslie had somehow assumed he’d gotten away unscathed. “But you’re going for a run?”

It was Cloud’s turn to shrug. “I always go for a run in the morning if there’s time. Besides, can’t just fall over at the first injury.” 

_Well, aren’t you a tough one,_ Leslie thought a little sarcastically. “Do Soldiers heal faster?” 

What happened to ending the conversation? 

Cloud looked surprised at the question. “Well, some, but only if you’re receiving regular infusions and it’s been a while since I left Shinra. So, no.”

Realising that he was actually curious about a number of things, Leslie wondered if he’d been too paranoid about Aerith and Cloud being potential problems, when there had been nothing overt suggesting it or if he was now making excuses so he could keep talking to Cloud.

Without the armour and sword the ex-soldier looked almost like a normal person if it weren’t for the mako eyes. It was strange that such a small thing could stand out so much. As far as he knew mako gave the eyes its trademark glow but did it also change the person’s eye colour? 

“And since then you and your girlfriend have been doing mercenary work in the slums?”

“She’s not my girlfriend, but yes, something like that.” Cloud crossed his arms with a wince. “We live in Sector 7, so we mostly work around there. But we’ve been all over.”

Leslie nodded. Not his girlfriend, huh. He’d wondered at their slightly off dynamic but since they’d played off of each other so well, on and off the battlefield, he hadn’t given it much thought. So they were here on a job…? 

“How long have you worked for Corneo?” It seemed it was Cloud’s turn to ask questions. 

“Couple of years now.” 

“Like it?”

Leslie shrugged, frowning at Cloud’s laugh. It sounded... nice. He didn’t think he’d seen Cloud laugh before today. Why was he thinking about this? 

“Well, that’s an answer in itself.” 

What was there to say? Working for the local crime lord was exactly as Cloud probably imagined it to be and it wasn’t like he was doing the job for the job’s sake, not that he would tell Cloud that, of course. 

“Never thought about leaving?”

Certainly, once Corneo was dead, Leslie thought bitterly. 

But if he was honest with himself, he’d thought about leaving a thousand times. Reasoning that there had to be a different way to get to Corneo, that he could do something else in the meantime but the depressing truth of the matter was that he was good at what he did. And yet he felt trapped. Despite or maybe because he was getting closer to reaching his goal. 

Whenever he got a step closer, the question of what came after would creep up on him. Was there even such a thing as ‘after’? He had no ambition beyond killing Corneo and if that would take his life, he knew he would have no regrets. But if it didn’t…. what then? 

Leslie tilted his head to the side and smiled dryly. “And how do you think I’ll answer that question?” 

“Fair enough.” Cloud chuckled. 

Whenever Cloud laughed, his dialect got a little stronger, Leslie noted. It was obvious enough that he wasn’t from Midgar but most of the time it wasn’t as noticeable. 

“Where are you from?” The question was out before he could stop himself. Dammit. 

“Why?”

“I… Just curious,” Leslie admitted grudgingly. “You don’t sound like you’re from Midgar.”

“Yeah, no. I’m from Nibelheim.”

He couldn’t say he’d heard of the place before. But then he’d never left Midgar his entire life. 

“It’s a small town on the western continent.” Cloud provided. He was probably used to people not having heard of Nibelheim. “Has a reactor and that’s about all that can be said for it.”

“And so you’ve come to Midgar. A gem of a city,” Leslie smiled wryly. 

The mirth was showing in Cloud’s eyes again. “You’ve clearly never been to the countryside.”

His phone vibrated, reminding him that he’d be late if he didn’t hurry but he felt strangely reluctant to go. This made no sense. “I gotta go,” he said all the same. 

Cloud nodded. “Any pointers on Andrea Rhodea?” 

Leslie paused, thinking. “Hmm, not really. Well… he might want to dance with you.” Cloud looked so alarmed, Leslie couldn’t help his laugh. 

“You’re joking.”

Leslie gave him a sympathetic smile.

“Aerith might just have to go alone.” Scratching the back of his head, Cloud glanced into the direction of the Honeybee Inn. “I’ll fight a Behemoth any day.” He sighed. “Well, don’t want to keep you.”

“Break a leg.” Leslie glanced at his phone. “Andrea’s not so bad. You’ll see.”

Not waiting for Cloud’s answer, he crossed the bridge to Corneo’s mansion, thinking he could feel the ex-soldier watching him leave. Their unexpected meeting had taken him off guard. He’d hardly exchanged two sentences with Cloud before but talking to him now hadn’t been… unpleasant? 

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Leslie pushed the doors to the mansion open with more force than necessary. 

Some of the men were already up. He sent a few of them into the “dungeon” to throw the ladies from last night out, shouting over his shoulder that that included the girls in their shared room. There was some groaning and muttering but no objections. 

One of the man told him that Corneo had been asking for him. So the first thing he did was go into the parlour, where he found Corneo sitting at his desk, feet propped up on it. 

The don jumped up the moment Leslie entered the room. 

“Ugh, you’re late!”

He wasn’t.

“I never liked the idea of that apartment. You’re never on hand when I need you,” Corneo complained, stopping in front of Leslie and jabbing a finger at his chest. “The girls last night were not up to par.”

He had to listen to the same whining about every other day. Hands folded behind his back, Leslie kept his eyes fixed onto a point just behind Corneo’s head. “I’m sorry to hear that, Sir.”

Corneo scowled. “Bah, who am I talking to about this? All these pretty ladies and you always just stand there with that… _face_ of yours.” Getting no rise out of Leslie, he turned away with an exasperated huff. “Useless.”

It would be so easy to just pull the gun and shoot Corneo. But despite how stupid the man was, he wasn’t completely defenceless and whatever could be said about him, he had a certain low cunning. If the shot didn’t go off right or Corneo suspected anything, he’d be screwed. 

And he wasn’t going to mess this up now, not when he’d come so far already. 

“I’ll drop by the Honeybee Inn tomorrow. Is there anything you want me to pass on to Andrea?” Leslie asked, ignoring the jibe. 

Corneo glowered over his shoulder. “Nah. He’s paying his levies on time?”

Leslie nodded. 

“The Honey Girls are cute enough but all these men...” Corneo made a face when a thought occurred to him and he frowned at Leslie. “You’re not like that Andrea… are you?” He looked suspicious all of a sudden. “Never participating like the others do and never looking at a girl twice.”

It took a lot of effort not to roll his eyes. “No, I’m not.”

Corneo nodded to himself. “Good. Good. Can’t have one of those… degenerates under my roof.”

“If that’s all?” 

“Yeah, yeah. You can go,” Corneo waved dismissively as he vanished back into his bedroom. 

Bowing slightly, Leslie left the parlour. 

He’d not yet mentioned his worries about Aerith and Cloud to Corneo and decided to keep it at that way, at least until he had made up his mind first. Maybe Andrea would have some more information on them by tomorrow. 

They were still wild cards. Not a couple and obviously not on a pleasure trip in Wall Market. His talk with Cloud hadn’t dispersed his suspicions. On the contrary. 

If anything he’d started second-guessing himself. 

\-----------------------------------------------------------

Aerith looked around the pompous room, marvelling at how something could be so stuffed with unnecessary luxury yet not appear gaudy or tasteless. On the contrary, ever since they’d walked through the front door, she’d felt transported to completely different world. A world of refined taste and polite people. Such a rare thing in the slums. 

The sofa she and Cloud were currently sitting on was so soft, she felt herself getting sleepy. 

It was then that Andrea Rhodea made his entrance (quite literally and what an entrance it was) with a radiant smile and a twinkling in his eyes. 

She’d done some research on the Honeybee Inn’s owner and had found nothing sinister. His employees were happy, his customers were happy. No skeletons in the closet as far as she could tell. Many people came to Wall Market just to visit the Honeybee Inn and meet Andrea Rhodea.

“Cloud and Aerith,” Andrea brushed his lips against Aerith’s hand and bowed to Cloud. “So glad you could make it. I hope you didn’t have to wait long.” 

It had barely been ten minutes and in those ten minutes they had been brought the most delicious ice tea with ice cubes that looked like crystals and fruit so fresh she couldn’t imagine it coming from below plate. Oh, and the cake and sweets. She’d honestly considered stealing some. 

All Cloud had done during their wait was nip on his ice tea and that not even without making sure it wasn’t poisoned. Always vigilant, Aerith had thought to herself with amusement. But then he wasn’t one for sweets. 

The ex-soldier couldn’t be more out of place. 

“Oh, not at all,” she returned Andrea’s smile, prepared as always to lead the conversation because if she left it to Cloud they would sit in silence for the next half hour before someone left in exasperation. Ah well, there were be worse vices than reticence. 

“You two delivered quite the performance at the colosseum. Everyone is talking about you.” Andrea plopped down gracefully into one of the other two sofas, though Aerith wasn’t sure how one managed to “plop gracefully”. Crossing his legs, he sat there as if posing for a painting. She suppressed a wistful sigh. 

“I guess that was the idea,” she grinned as Andrea raised an eyebrow. 

“Was it now? And why is that?” 

“Well, we managed to catch your attention, so that was a step forward.” She glanced at Cloud not really expecting any help, but to her surprise, he leaned forward, elbows resting on his thighs. 

“We’re trying to get to Corneo. Any way you can help us?” 

Okay, a little blunter than she would’ve preferred but beggars can’t be choosers. To her relief Andrea looked intrigued rather than offended. 

“Perhaps.” He plucked one of the sweets from the crystal bowl and popped it into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully. “I suppose that will depend on what you want from our dear don.”

“None-“ 

Aerith elbowed Cloud in the side. “I’m sorry. Maybe I should do the talking.” 

Andrea chuckled. “You two aren’t really a couple, are you?” 

“No.” They both said in unison. 

Andrea studied them with an enigmatic smile. “Well… I don’t expect you to divulge all your secrets but I will need a general direction in which your meeting with Corneo is supposed to progress.” 

“Towards his death,” Cloud said and Aerith rolled her eyes. 

Well, the cat was out of the bag alright. 

Andrea’s gaze turned shrewd. “I appreciate your bluntness but it might be a liability if you’re talking to somebody else.” 

Aerith glowered at Cloud. “Tell me about it.”

“Be that as it may. I’m not sure how I can help you with your endeavour. I have neither weapons nor thugs,” his mouth turned down in distaste at the word. “Nor any infiltration tools, I’m afraid.” 

“We’ve heard you know Leslie,” Aerith ventured carefully. 

The smile returned to Andrea’s lips and Aerith wasn’t sure if it was just her or if Andrea was looking at them like the cat that just got the cream. “Ah.” 

“Ah?” Aerith slowly raised her ice tea to her lips, hoping more of an answer would be forthcoming while she pondered what to do if it wasn’t. 

“Leslie Kyle,” Andrea tsked. “That’s the angle you want to play? Risky.” 

Aerith eyed her ice tea. Was there alcohol in it? She felt a little warm. Noticing Cloud’s scowl she stepped on his foot under the table before he could open his mouth. 

“You might want to blow the whole place up. Corneo included. That would most definitely be easier.” 

Aerith winced. “That bad?” 

“We need information that only Corneo has,” Cloud interjected. 

“Well, that certainly complicates things.” Andrea tapped a finger against his cheek in contemplation, then sighed. “What made you decide to go through Leslie?” 

“We heard he’s Corneo’s right-hand man and privy to most if not all his going-ons. He seems to be calling the shots on most of what’s going on on the outside and all of Corneo’s goons seem to be listening to him,” Aerith explained, hoping it would be good enough. 

Andrea seemed like the reasonable sort and was definitely not in cahoots with Corneo. Judging by his popularity and the Honeybee Inn’s fame, however, he had settled into a working coexistence with the don which meant he was ready to make certain… concessions, if nothing else. But did that mean he would help them or rather preserve the status quo? 

“True enough.” 

“But?” Aerith sipped on her ice tea as her stomach started tying itself into knots. 

“But, Leslie is a piece of work.” 

Cloud scoffed into his drink. 

“However,” Andrea added with a glance at Cloud. “He does seem a little partial to you.” 

Choking on his ice tea, Cloud coughed and grimaced as Aerith patted him on the back in sympathy while breathing, “Told you.” 

“Are you sure?” Aerith asked hopefully. 

If she were the haughty kind, she would’ve thought that even a blind person would’ve picked up on the chemistry between Cloud and Leslie but since she wasn’t, she had to admit that it probably wasn’t as obvious to everyone else as it was to her. Hell, half the time, she knew something was up before the people involved did. It really was a burden, she thought a little dramatically. 

And, if she was honest with herself, she was torn between whether to like or worry about the prospect that something might come of it. At the end of the day Leslie wasn’t on their side (yet) and who knew what would happen during their job. Fighting or killing someone you liked was the worst part of their job. Thankfully it happened seldom enough. 

This time though… 

Leslie was a smart man. There was no way he was working for Corneo because he enjoyed it. She just didn’t believe that. But what was the real reason? Was he being blackmailed? Did he have ulterior motives? 

“Well, it’s only a feeling but… yes.” Andrea reached for another sweet, delicately biting it in half and chewing slowly. “I’ve known him for a couple of years now and he’s not always been so apathetic. But after that unfortunate incident with his fiancée…” Andrea sighed. “Alas, sometimes things just turn out the way they do.” 

“Fiancée?” 

Andrea shook his head. “Trust me, that’s not the angle you want to play. In fact, I do quite like Leslie, so I’d prefer you didn’t try playing him at all but since taking Corneo down is ultimately your goal, you might have something in common.”

Bingo.

“You’re not serious?” Cloud looked doubtful. 

“Oh, but I am.” Andrea smiled benignly. “Leslie is obviously not going to admit it and certainly not to you two. He’s gone through too much to get were he is now and he’s not going to throw it all away by confiding in someone he can’t be sure he can trust.” 

But you just spilled the beans, Aerith thought, wondering how thrilled Leslie would be about that. “Makes sense. So… what do you suggest we do?” 

“Maybe I can arrange a private meeting,” Andrea mused. 

Cloud leaned back into the sofa and crossed his arms. “Can’t say I like the sound of that.”

“Cloud!”

“What? This could easily be a set-up.”

Andrea chuckled. “Indeed, it could be, but from where I stand, you’re not exactly drowning in options and Leslie isn’t going to agree to a meeting in public. In fact, he isn’t going to agree to meeting you two at all. Which is why he won’t know you will be there.”

Aerith glanced at Cloud before nodding. “Alright. How’s this going to go down?”

“He’s checking in on the Honeybee Inn every other week or so and you two are in luck because the next time will be tomorrow. None of Corneo’s other goons will be around because I can’t stand their kind in or around my darling place. So, it’ll be Leslie, you two and me.”

“What if he walks out the moment he sees us?” Cloud asked. 

Andrea smiled with such confidence that Aerith couldn’t help but feel encouraged too. “Sweetheart. Leslie isn’t stupid. He’ll know I set this up and that alone will interest him enough to make him stay. We get along well, all things considered and while it would be too much to say he trusts me, he has enough trust in me that he won’t immediately suspect a trap.”

“And then...” Aerith pondered.

“And then you’ll have your chance to talk to him. Alone. I don’t know if you’ll be able to convince him one way or the other but that’s all I can offer you.”

“Alright, we’ll do it.” 

Aerith threw Cloud a surprised look. Considering how opposed he’d been at first, she hadn’t expected him to agree so easily. 

Then again, she’d not yet managed to get out of Cloud what exactly had happened with Leslie this morning. He’d mentioned meeting him but had been pretty close-lipped when it came to the juicy bits. It had just been a short talk, nothing interesting. Nothing interesting, my ass. 

Something had definitely been on Cloud’s mind since he’d come back this morning and while she was usually not above cajoling him as much as was necessary to give her all the details, she’d decided to let well enough alone and let him stew in his own uncertainty for now. 

Andrea clapped his hands together and rose. “Splendid. Now. I’ll let you know exactly when to be here tomorrow. Oh and… don’t let him get under your skin too much, he has a knack for it.” He added in Cloud’s direction with a wink.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, next chapter! :D And my boys are making life hard for themselves. This is gonna be a bit of a slow burn, not gonna lie. xD
> 
> And once again: THANK YOU ALL SOOOO MUCH! ;____; I've been reading and re-reading your lovely comments, they cheer me up no end! I'm so happy you guys like how I write/interpret Leslie's character! I can't say enough how much I appreciate your support, every comment and kudos makes me beam, haha. :)
> 
> Oh, and the beta position is still open. :) Won't point that out every time anymore, just assume it hasn't been filled until I say so.

It was just before noon when Leslie entered the Honeybee Inn. Pushing the curtain aside, he stepped into the richly furnished foyer. The young man at the counter beamed at him. 

“Welcome, Leslie!”

Leslie returned neither the smile nor the greeting. Scanning the room, he said, “I’m here to see Andrea.”

The receptionist stepped out from behind the counter and bowed. “But of course. Right this way.”

He was led through a door on the right just as Andrea walked into the room.

“Ah, Leslie. On time as always.”

Leslie gave him a perfunctory smile. He really wasn’t. In fact, he made a point of dropping in at random times each time he checked on Andrea. Only the day was usually agreed upon beforehand but even there he made exceptions. It wasn’t like he was harbouring any suspicions about Andrea trying to cross the don but he preferred to be safe rather than sorry.

Towards the receptionist, Andrea said, “I’ll take it from here.”

When the young man had gone, Andrea turned back to Leslie. “So, how is our favourite don?"

"Magnificent and infallible as always," Leslie replied sarcastically.

"His girth ever increasing?"

Leslie snorted a laugh. "Stop it. I do still have to talk to him with a straight face."

Andrea gave him a mock-contrite look. "Come now. The last problem you have is keeping a straight face." In a more business-like manner, he added, "Any additional demands from Corneo?”

“No.” Leslie shook his head. “He was muttering about raising your levies but I told him doing that again so soon wouldn’t be a good idea.”

Somehow Andrea's extravagant style and preference of the same gender had Corneo underestimating the Honeybee Inn’s owner. The don knew Andrea was influential, of course, and had enough sense, though admittedly after at lot of persuading on Leslie’s part, to make him one of the Trio. Yet he secretly thought Andrea wasn’t ruthless or smart enough to outwit him. As far as Leslie was concerned a cockroach could outwit Corneo, but money and connections went a long way even without brains.

Andrea sketched a bow. “Much obliged.”

The moment they stepped into the room, Leslie knew something was wrong. His eyes fell on the very familiar sword leaning against the far side of the room. He stopped in his tracks, hand straying towards the gun under his jacket.

But Andrea stood behind him and gently put a hand on his.

“There is no need for this. I assure you.”

Leslie threw him a look, narrowing his eyes. There was nobody else but them in the room. “You set me up.” It wasn’t a question.

Andrea raised his hands, palms turned up. “Now, I promise you, it’s nothing of the sort.”

“Isn’t it?”

So much for being safe rather than sorry. Should he have seen this coming? Leslie mentally shook himself. Panic would get him nowhere fast. Andrea had no reason to want to cause him harm. Corneo, yes, but not him. Or so he thought.

“They just want to talk,” Andrea assured him, his expression serious. “You know me.”

Leslie felt like baring his teeth in anger, the look he gave Andrea was venomous, despite the small voice at the back of his mind telling him that Andrea had a point. He needed to calm the hell down.

Gritting his teeth, he relaxed his jaw again a moment later and nodded. “I should-”

“Now, now.” Andrea’s smile was radiant for which Leslie wanted to strangle him all over again. “And here I was thinking you weren’t one for temper tantrums.”

The man’s goddamned gall. “I’ve shot people for less.”

Andrea pursed his lips. “Stop being a child. Like I said, they’re only here to talk. Of course, you’re free to believe that or not but how goes the saying ‘Keep your friends close and your enemies closer?’” Pushing the door shut, Andrea raised an eyebrow. “Are you going to engage the safety again? Please?”

Clicking the safety catch, Leslie crossed his arms. “Why are you doing this?”

“I’m only trying to help.”

“I don’t need no help.”

Sighing, Andrea shook his head. “I think that’s where you’re wrong.” He rapped his knuckles on a crystalline vase that gave of a high tinkling sound and a moment later the second door to the room opened slowly.

First Aerith and then Cloud entered but neither strayed farther into the room, probably sensing the tension.

“Now let’s all be civil here and sit down,” Andrea announced to the room at large and positioned himself into an armchair in that leisurely way he had. There was a sofa to his left, another armchair to Leslie’s right and a chair that was shoved against the wall.

Leslie noted that Aerith wasn’t carrying her staff and Cloud’s sword was out of immediate reach. But it was in the room and if Cloud went for it with his reflexes as an ex-soldier, he’d reach it a lot faster than the average person. All the same, Leslie estimated he’d be able to shoot him before he’d get to it.

If that would be necessary.

“I offered my assistance to our new friends here, since it’s rather difficult to get a hold of you, Leslie,” Andrea went on, crossing his legs.

Leslie’s mouth twisted into a humourless smile. “How thoughtful.”

Aerith gave him a hesitant smile while Cloud simply watched Leslie as both sat down on the sofa cautiously.

Grabbing the chair, Leslie turned the backrest towards the room and sat down on it astride as he pulled his gun out. Resting his underarms on the backrest, he let the gun hang down loosely. “I’m all ears.”

Leslie saw Andrea smile apologetically at Aerith and Cloud. “I’m afraid I can’t make him put it away.”

“I’ve had talks under worse conditions,” Cloud said, crossing his arms as he leaned back and balancing the ankle of his left leg on his right knee.

 _My god, he’s attractive._ Leslie faltered a little at his own thoughts. What was wrong with him?

“Aerith?” Cloud prompted.

She glanced at him and nodded.

“Well, so… we would really like to have a talk with Corneo and since he has no designated time for an audience, we thought we might ask you if there’s any way…?” She let the question hang in the air unfinished.

Leslie studied her. She looked like she couldn’t hurt a fly. Of course, he knew better but… “I believe, I‘ve already told you of the two options you have to see the don.“

“Right,” Aerith frowned a little. “Then we’d like to make an appointment.”

“Not happening.”

Pursing her lips, her frown deepened. “And why’s that?”

“Because I doubt very much that all you want to do is talk to the don.” Leslie tapped his index finger against the gun, turning things over in his head. Why did Andrea believe they could be trusted? No doubt he’d told them that… He stopped himself from gritting his teeth again.

“Let me put it this way, at the end of this talk, will Corneo’s head still be attached to his shoulders?”

“Sure.” Cloud said with a face like thunder. “If barely.”

Leslie almost snorted. _Well, Soldier boy is no spy, that’s for sure._

Andrea chuckled and Aerith sighed.

“Alright. Cloud’s right and since Andrea said he likes you, we’re not gonna lie. There’s information we want from Corneo and once we’ve got it, we would very much like to leave his dead body behind.”

 _She’s got the sweetest face,_ Leslie thought with amused disbelief. “And you’re telling me this because Andrea told you that I want Corneo dead too.” Leslie sighed. It was easy enough to figure out. He’d have to have a word with Andrea but then the man was no talker. So why had he…?

There was a flicker of uncertainty in Aerith’s eyes as she glanced at the Honeybee Inn’s owner.

“There’s such a thing as playing too hard to get, Les,” Andrea murmured with a small smile.

With Andrea everything was a game but maybe you looked at things differently when you had the charm and charisma to seduce half of Midgar. Flattery will get you everywhere, indeed.

/I’m only trying to help,/ Andrea’s words were echoing in his head. _Well, you’re not._

“Why did you help us in the colosseum?” Cloud interjected.

Leslie watched Cloud for a long moment. “I think we’ve had this discussion.”

Cloud leaned in, resting his elbows on his thighs. “Fine. Say what you want but let’s stop beating about the bush. You know what we want and we assume we know what you want. So here’s the deal: Either you run back to Corneo and tell him what we’re up to. He’ll send some of his goons after us, we’ll kill them and then come after Corneo. It’ll delay our plan but unless he plans to employ half of Soldier, they’re not going to stop us. Or you help us take down Corneo in a timely and civilised manner, so unnecessary bloodshed may be avoided. I’ve no interest to hack through his little army of thugs but I will if I have to.”

“So you’re telling me, you’d like to spare the men that have been doing Corneo’s dirty work for years and in doing so aided and abetted him in his crimes?” Leslie sounded almost bored. _What a terrible liar you are._

“We’re not the Shinra police force. We’re here to do a job.” Cloud snapped.

Leslie could almost believe it, because it wasn’t a complete lie. _He’s hating this,_ Leslie realised but some things weren’t solved by being upfront with one’s intentions. Maybe Cloud would learn that the hard way one day. There were always situations which one couldn’t just hack their way out of. But Leslie wasn’t here to teach him a lesson. 

“And just so we’re clear, if you decide to stand by Corneo, you walk out of here today without any trouble. We promised Andrea that much,” Cloud added, leaning back against the sofa. “For what happens later we obviously can’t make any promises.”

Aerith gave a sharp nod. “What he said.”

Andrea was running a thumb over his lower lip, a thoughtful frown tugging at his brows.

“Oh, and,” Aerith smiled as if they were discussing the plans for a birthday party. “We’ll obviously not rat you out to Corneo for talking to us. We hate that scumbag.”

 _How reassuring,_ Leslie thought sarcastically. He didn’t think this was a test Corneo had come up with. Unless someone had put him up to the idea, the man didn’t have the brains to think of something like this.

Leslie looked at both Aerith and Cloud in turn. Neither appeared to be a great liar and while appearances could be deceiving, he was usually good at figuring out what people wanted. And he didn’t believe they wanted an easy way in to avoid bloodshed. What kind of info did they think Corneo had?

“What exactly is it you want from me?”

“Information on Corneo and a way in,” Cloud said. “He may be a scumbag with shit for brains but he clawed his way up somehow. So he can’t be completely without wits.”

Did it really matter what they wanted from Corneo? As long as Leslie got to kill him, he really shouldn’t care. He just had to decide if he would be willing to accelerate his plan on getting revenge.

And therein lay the crux.

Leslie got up which made everyone tense a little.

“I’ll get back to you.” He stuck the gun into the waistband at his back. “Two days from now. I’ll find you.” He needed time to think this over and he doubted they’d make a move before they’d gotten his answer. They didn’t know if Corneo didn’t have some escape route and once he’d gotten away, the don could take all the time in the world to flush them out and deal with them. There were always ways besides brute force to deal with threats. The situation wasn’t as easy as Cloud had made it sound but then they knew that as well as he did. 

Andrea rose as well, clapping his hands together. “Aerith, I believe you’ve not yet seen my little Honeybees in action. There’s a rehearsal starting just now. Why don’t we go see it?”

A frown tugged at Leslie’s brows. What was going on?

Before he could stop them, Andrea and Aerith had slipped out the backdoor. Aerith with a small wave and Andrea with an infuriating wink. Which left Cloud and him.

Leaning against the wall, Leslie pointedly let his arms hang at his sides. And then he waited, his face betraying no emotion.

Cloud crossed his arms. “How will we know that we can trust you?”

“You won’t,” Leslie smiled coldly. “That’s precisely the point here. I don’t trust you and you don’t trust me.” The smile vanished from his lips. “Even if I agree to help you, I might double-cross you in the end.”

Cloud’s face darkened. “We’ll kill you if you do.”

“Will you now?” Leslie shrugged. “What do you want? Empty reassurances?” He pushed his hands into his pants pockets. Something about the tension he could sense from Cloud gave him a bad feeling.

“I don’t see why dragging this out another two days is necessary.”

Losing his patience just a little, Leslie pushed off the wall and closed the distance between them, noting the flicker of surprise in Cloud’s face. “That’s too bad because you won’t be getting an answer from me today. So is this going anywhere?”

He didn’t have time to react when Cloud suddenly grabbed his wrist, the metal links of his glove digging into Leslie’s skin. “Are you enjoying this?”

Gritting his teeth, Leslie ignored his heart thudding in his chest. “What are you talking about?”

“This tiptoeing about the issue,” Cloud glared at him, the mako glow making his eyes look like chips of ice. “If you want Corneo dead, then what are you waiting for?”

“What reason do I have to trust you? If I blabbed about my supposed intentions to everyone who came knocking, you think I’d be where I am today?” Leslie couldn’t quite keep the anger out of his voice. Taking a breath, he continued a little quieter. “You know nothing about me, yet here you stand with your moral superiority, demanding that I drop everything because you’re asking me too?”

Cloud’s grip on his wrist eased up a little. “That’s not what I meant… I…”

The sudden hesitation surprised Leslie but he wouldn’t be so easily beguiled. “And what if I wrote that note that you keep going on about? Not wanting someone to die and trusting them aren’t the same thing.”

Cloud narrowed his eyes. “If you care so little about everything and everyone then why does it even matter to you if we lived or died?”

“I…” Leslie bit his tongue, unable to think of an easy lie. “I don’t know, alright?”

Cloud let go of him.

“I wrote that note because…” Leslie rubbed his wrist, avoiding to look at Cloud. “Nobody has ever beaten the Hell House and I was tired of watching Corneo get whatever he wanted, no matter the price. So… I wrote it. But you don’t owe me anything”

“Look, I get it… everyone’s lying in a place like Wall Market. But that doesn’t mean-”

Leslie gave a humourless laugh. “A place like Wall Market? What’s with you? People lie all the time. Everywhere. Everyone wants something.” How could he be so damn naive? Before Leslie could stop himself, he’d shoved Cloud backwards. “How come you left Shinra? Did you discover that they’d made some empty promises to get what they wanted?”

Cloud clenched his jaw, suddenly looking a little pale. 

Well, he’d unwittingly hit that nail on the head. But with the expression on Cloud’s face, he didn’t feel particularly triumphant. What had caused Cloud to leave Shinra? He shook himself. It didn’t matter. 

Leslie sighed. “It doesn’t matter. I gotta go.”

“Leslie…”

Hearing his name from Cloud’s mouth made something twist in his stomach. Leslie shook his head as he turned away. “Don’t. You don’t know me. Don’t assume we’re on the same side just because of what Andrea told you.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this one's a bit short but the next chapter is gonna be so long that I didn't want to lump them together. Also still need to polish the next chapter but should manage by next weekend. :)
> 
> Needed to finally introduce some of Cloud's issues. My poor baby. :( A little heads-up, Cloud's past will be a bit different (the Nibelheim incident will be pretty much like the canon one though) than in the game. Hence the canon divergence tag, but I don't want to spoil too much yet. 
> 
> Once again: I love you all so much and I'm super thrilled you're still enjoying the story! :D

The sword cut through the two gorgers like a hot knife through butter, splitting them in half before they dissolved into shimmering green particles.

Whipping around, Cloud threw his sword at the last gorger on the other side of the scrapyard, pinning it against a wall of metal plates before it too dissolved. He strode over and yanked his sword out of the layers of metal that had been cobbled together like most of Sector 5.

It had hardly taken more than a few minutes to get rid of the entire brood, seven in all. Coming all the way out here, only to have to deal with a minor nuisance without even breaking a sweat. What a waste of his time. Well, the shopkeeper would be pleased that his goods would arrive safely for the next few days or so, until another batch of critters came crawling out of the debris that was Sector 5.

Sighing, Cloud looked up at the plate’s underbelly.

One more job and he’d have to return to Wall Market or he wouldn’t make it before nightfall. He only hoped the next one would prove to be a bit more of a challenge.

Uncharacteristically, Cloud had asked Aerith to stay behind but after their negotiations with Leslie earlier in the day, he had needed some time alone.

Of all the things Leslie could’ve said, why did he have to bring up Shinra?

Swinging the sword over his head, Cloud felt it snap against the magnet on his back as be walked off, down one of the many corridors that wound their way through mountains of junk.

Shinra.

Cloud clenched his jaw, trying to shake the buzzing that inevitably started in his ears and the tingling that ran down his arms, making his fingers feel numb.

He stopped and took a slow, measured breath, waiting for the nausea to subside.

It had been going well for the past few weeks, which, when he really thought about it, sounded insane but compared to how things had been, he’d occasionally been hopeful that…

/Don’t let him get under your skin too much, he has a knack for it./

Well, Andrea certainly hadn’t been wrong about Leslie in that regard. 

Cloud was angry at himself. Angry at his own feelings and the fact that they started to get in the way of this job. Dealing with unsolicited flirtations had never been a problem for him but Leslie wasn’t even doing that. On the contrary, half the time he was downright rude to Cloud. During the other half though… they had actually managed to have a normal conversation. Leslie could be pleasant or at least not downright hostile. But then he would watch Cloud with those amber eyes that looked like nobody could reach him and… was that it? 

Was that what drew him in? Leslie’s apathy?

It made no sense but he’d reasoned with himself for days now and that had led exactly nowhere. He didn’t understand himself when it came to Leslie. 

He liked Leslie’s eyes that would look yellow or golden in the sun and a murky amber in the dark and he remembered when the wind had blown Leslie’s cap off, the loose grey hair had given the other man a completely different look somehow. Cloud understood the physical attraction but just being able to appreciate someone’s appearance normally wouldn’t lead down such a rabbit hole. At least not with him. 

They’d barely seen each other twice by the time he’d witnessed Scotch coming on to Leslie and the sight had bothered him more than it had any right to. For all he knew, Leslie could have a girlfriend. What did he really know about him? Nothing, that’s what. Leslie hadn’t been wrong about that. 

And yet… 

What a mess. 

Cloud reached the intersection the bar owner had told him about.

The place was a veritable jungle of abandoned machinery, dilapidated huts and bits and pieces that looked like they’d been dropped off the plate.

There was movement in one of the broken down huts and a moment later, a cerulean drake flew through the window and into the middle of the intersection. It was shortly joined by two of its brethren.

A grim smile ghosted over Cloud’s lips. He reached for the handle of his sword.

They wouldn’t be such a pushover. What a relief.

He couldn’t say, he particularly enjoyed fighting airborne enemies but with Shinra’s gruelling training and the mako enhancements, they didn’t pose a serious problem either.

Their sometimes unexpected shrieks that sent ice spells hurtling his way, however, did. Cloud jumped back with a hiss as pale crystals crawled up his left arm. Gripping his sword with his right hand, he tried to shake the paralysing sensation off as he kept his distance from the circling drakes.

All three watched him with baleful eyes.

“Sorry, but you’re bothering the neighbours,” he muttered under his breath before jumping into the air again and landing a clean hit on the drake to his right, sending it plummeting to the ground with another shriek that he barely managed to avoid.

The creature disintegrated into soft green sparkles.

Two more to go.

Dusk was falling and quickly, so he had no time to stick around longer than absolutely necessary. The second drake fell quickly enough but the third proved more bothersome than expected. Unlike its brethren, it was faster and warier, evading Cloud’s attacks and rising up higher to appraise the situation rather than charge in like the other two had done.

Backing up, Cloud slotted a wind materia into his sword, bringing the sword up to block a Talon Dive just in time. Apparently the creature had expected a bigger opening. It rose back up into the air with a shriek that Cloud sidestepped.

“C’mon. I don’t have all day.”

That wasn’t strictly speaking true. He did mean to return to Wall Market before nightfall but he could literally do this all day. It would take his mind off things. It was something he was actually good at and he liked the adrenaline rush, the acting and reacting without having to think.

Barrett was much the same, only that he was a lot noisier about his enjoyment during a fight.

It had taken an age for them to warm to each other but after that Cloud found he didn’t mind the big brute all that much. A sentiment which seemed to be returned.

The drake’s talons screeched against Cloud’s sword, catching at his right cheek as they slid off. He jumped back as blood ran down his cheek. It wasn’t anything to worry about, only a shallow cut. 

He remembered a time when the injury would’ve healed within hours. 

Closing in, Cloud launched himself into the air again, hacking at the drake but not managing more than to graze it with his sword. It was too wily and cautious. His feet hit the ground as he followed the monster with his eyes, feeling the wind hissing through his free hand before he hurled the spell into the drake’s direction, hitting it head on. 

The creature lurched and Cloud closed the distance between them immediately, driving his sword straight through the drake’s sternum. He drew back, the momentum sending the drake flying it into one of the many piles of debris before he’d get buffeted by the creatures wings as it struggled in its death throes.

Cloud lodged the sword back against the magnet and exhaled slowly. He was hardly winded, his barely accelerated heart rate already returning to normal. 

There had been a time when he’d wished for nothing more than the same superiority Sephiroth had displayed on the battlefield. The calm control and the otherworldly ease with which he had dispatched of each and every enemy. Everyone had practically worshipped the ground he’d walked on. 

Sephiroth.

The name tasted like acid on his tongue.

He’d joined Shinra to become just like his childhood hero and, in a way, he got what he’d wished for, only the price had been steeper than he’d bargained for. The irony of fate really was too bitter to swallow sometimes. 

His phone was vibrating. Frowning, Cloud fished it out of his pants’ pocket and saw Aerith’s name on the display. She wouldn’t call unless it was important. 

“What is it?”

“I just saw Shinra infantry men heading for Corneo’s place.”

His heart dropped into his stomach. 

“I don’t know what’s going on but… I think Rude was with them.”

“ _Shit_.”

He could hear Aerith sigh. “You can say that again. I’ll see if there’s anything I can find out.”

They could be in Wall Market because of Corneo. Tifa had told them that Corneo had connections to Shinra which was incidentally exactly what they’d come to find out. But would Shinra make their dealings with Corneo that obvious? It was hard to believe. 

They could also be in Wall Market because of Leslie. He suddenly regretted his own words of how they wouldn’t be stopped by anything short of a massive Soldier presence. Would Shinra really stick their necks out for someone like Corneo? If he couldn’t keep himself safe, what use would he be to them? It didn’t really make sense either. 

Or they could be in Wall Market for him… 

Cloud blinked rapidly as all colour drained from his vision only to be replaced by a sickening green hue. He knew Aerith was saying something but the buzzing in his ears drowned out all sound. The phone slid from his numb fingers. 

No. 

Not now. 

Before he knew it, he was on his hands and knees, the ground feeling disconcertingly unsteady and gooey beneath him. Aerith’s shouts seemed farther and farther away by the second. The smell of blood and chemicals filled his nostrils, making him retch as an all too familiar voice echoed in his head. 

/Ah, the results are off the charts. Isn’t this what you wanted?/

Cloud flinched away from the words and the person who was towering over him. 

Clutching his head in both hands, he tried to fight off the memories flashing before his eyes, turning his surroundings into an entirely different place. A place he thought he’d escaped from but which would be haunting him for the rest of his life. 

And then there was something clawing its way out of him. 

Emotions that felt so foreign, that couldn’t be his own. Surely. Anger, no fury and uncontrollable hatred for… everything and everyone. 

Cloud grimaced in pain, fingers digging into his hair, forehead pressed against the ground. Nothing helped. There was nothing to hold on to, nothing to ground him. He felt like he was wading through a chest-high swamp while hands reached out to pull him back, pull him under. Only the swamp was eerily green and the hands belonged to creatures he didn’t dare look at. 

Soldier – our ultimate fighting machine. Strong, tireless, effective. Exchange your life for power. Become the better man. Fight for the future. 

Empty Shinra propaganda filled his head. 

He was standing next to himself. Another self, hands covered in blood, up to his arms even. It wasn’t him and yet it was. A person with his face. It couldn’t be him, could it? 

“Cloud!”

The last thing he remembered was the pain exploding in his head.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been looking forward to posting this chapter for soooo long. XD And finally, here it is.

Rubbing his eyes, Leslie headed to Corneo’s mansion just as the sun was coming up. As much as that was possible bellow plate. The plate suns were turned on was probably the more apt way of phrasing it.

He’d slept somewhere between poorly and not at all, despite getting so little sleep the night before. But after Andrea had told him in no uncertain terms that it was time for him to move on with life, he’d spent the time in bed turning things over in his head instead of sleeping. The perfect chance to kill Corneo, relatively risk free even, had presented itself and he’d be a fool not to take it.

The worst part about Andrea’s advice was that it was good. 

Or perhaps the worst part was that he’d probably been able to kill Corneo a while ago but hadn’t done so. What he was afraid of wasn’t dying while getting his revenge. It was living afterwards. And with Cloud’s and Aerith’s help the chance of that happening was decidedly greater.

And then what?

There was no life beyond his revenge for Merle. And while there had been a time when his life had been perfectly fulfilled by pursuing his desire for revenge it had started to feel hollow some time ago. Which didn’t mean he wanted to kill Corneo any less but…

Leslie was about to push the door to the inner courtyard open when he heard a noise and halted. A moment later, the noise repeated itself. It sounded like scratching or… sawing?

Drawing the gun at his back, he walked around one of the outlying buildings, careful about were he set his feet.

It was Scotch.

Leslie narrowed his eyes. What was the idiot doing? Releasing the safety on his gun, he pointed it at Scotch’s back. “Searching for your room?”

Scotch jumped and turned around, his startled expression turning into a grin. “Well, well. Look who couldn’t stay away.” He slipped the knife he’d been holding into the sheath on his belt and approached Leslie with raised hands. “Come now. Put that thing away.”

Watching Scotch warily, Leslie lowered his gun. What was going on here? He glanced at the window that Scotch had stood in front… with his knife out? Had he tried to break in?

He regretted turning his attention away from Scotch the moment the other man grabbed him and twisted his arm, making him drop the gun with a pained curse. Scotch pressed Leslie’s arm into the small of his back, stepping up close. “Eyes on the prize, I’d say.”

Leslie tried elbowing Scotch with his free arm but was easily thwarted. “Get off me.” He bristled at the breath against his ear when Scotch whispered: “Like hell I will. Not gonna let this opportunity pass me by.”

Struggling, Leslie attempted to twist free but Scotch’s vice-like grip on his arm made that impossible. Before he knew it, the other man had kicked his legs out from under him and Leslie landed on the ground, cheek scraping against the cold stone when he didn’t manage to bring his hands up fast enough to break his fall.

He wanted to roll to the side to put some distance between himself and Scotch but the other man was faster, grabbing his ankle and pulling him back as he straddled Leslie’s lower back who still lay on the ground face first. The impact of the fall had been as jarring as it had been unexpected and left him feeling slightly dizzy.

_Shit._

Panic started crawling up his limbs despite him trying to fight it. Getting frantic wouldn’t do him any good. But that was easier said than done.

Leslie grimaced and recoiled as Scotch pressed his lips against his ear. “You wouldn’t believe how long I’ve waited for this moment.”

_He’s fucking serious_ , Leslie realised with a sinking feeling. This wasn’t just one of the don’s men trying to mess with him. Scotch was trying to fuck him… quite literally.

When he brought his elbow up this time, it connected with the other man’s sternum who drew back with a grunt but before Leslie got the chance to wiggle out from under him, Scotch had grabbed a handful of his hair and slammed his face into the ground.

Pain exploded in his nose, his vision going black for a few seconds. Blinking frantically, Leslie felt blood running down his nose as he fought the rising nausea.

“You little cunt! Try that again and I’ll be a lot less gentle,” Scotch hissed into his ear, still holding onto Leslie’s hair as he drew his head back.

Leslie spit out the blood that had run from his nose and gritted his teeth. “If you think you can get away with this, you better have another thing coming.” He was relieved by how calm his voice still sounded, compared to how terrified he actually was.

Scotch gave a low laugh. “So? I’ll still have fucked you. Can’t turn back time, can you? Besides, who’s gonna believe I’d go for a guy?” He nipped at Leslie’s neck with a mock growl.

Leslie nearly gagged at the feeling. “Who do you think Corneo’ll believe: you or me?”

That gave Scotch pause because he knew only too well that Leslie had the don’s ear. Corneo had started to rely on him a lot. When shit hit the wall, it was Leslie who he asked for advice and Leslie who’d clean up the mess or rather who’d make sure the mess got cleaned up. Corneo would rather rid himself of one of his countless, easily replaceable men, no matter how well Scotch did in the Colosseum, than drop Leslie.

Scotch cursed but didn’t move. “You know what, fuck this. I’ll just kill you once I’m done.”

That was exactly the kind of conclusion Leslie had wished Scotch wouldn’t come to. Somewhere on the way he’d underestimated the other man. Or maybe his desperation. And he’d pay for it now.

Leslie searched for his gun but it was out of reach. He had no other weapons and was physically a lot weaker than Scotch. He tried to breathe through his rising terror. What if he screamed? He’d seen nobody about when he’d approached the mansion.

This was a nightmare.

Scotch pressed Leslie’s face into the ground, bending over him as he pulled Leslie up on his knees to grind against his backside. “What? Got nothing else to say?”

Leslie felt the other man’s arousal and thought he’d be sick. One of his arms was still pinned behind his back, his other on the ground, hand curled into a fist. He struggled, fruitlessly, only achieving that he was pressed against Scotch more tightly.

When Scotch reached for Leslie’s pants, fingers curling around the hem, he tried to kick out but the other man trapped his ankles under his legs.

Since Scotch planned to kill him afterwards, he supposed he wouldn’t have to live with the shame for too long. The thought nearly made him laugh. “Let me go.” He wanted to add ‘I won’t tell anyone’ but he just couldn’t. If nothing else, he still had his pride.

A moment later, Leslie heard approaching footsteps and turned his head to see a figure at the end of the walkway. 

Scotch jumped to his feet with a curse, drawing his knife. “Who the hell-?”

It was enough time for Leslie to scramble over to grab his gun and point it at Scotch. 

A shot echoed through the silence, blood hitting Leslie’s face as Scotch dropped to the ground. 

Breath hissing in and out between his gritted teeth, Leslie lowered the gun, sliding the safety back in place as his hands started to shake quite badly.

He pushed himself back to his feet with some difficulty as the person approached.

Part of him was relieved that it was none of Corneo’s men, the other part was dismayed that it was Cloud who had definitely seen too much of the situation if his look was anything to go by. He was wearing his running clothes again.

“Are you-” Cloud began but he cut him off.

“Get out of here. This place’ll be swarming with Corneo’s men in a few seconds and the first person they’ll pin this on is you if you stick around.” His hands were still shaking but his voice thankfully gave nothing away.

“What about-”

“Now!” Leslie shouted just when they, true to Leslie’s words, heard footsteps approaching.

Cloud ducked out of sight behind one the outlying buildings as Leslie bent over Scotch to pull the knife free. He strode over to the window that Scotch had stood in front of before, noticing the scratch marks. Slamming the knife between the window frame and the bolt, he wrenched it open, stepping back just in time to stand back where Scotch lay when Corneo’s men rounded the corner.

They looked from Leslie to Scotch and back to Leslie.

“What the-”

Running a hand through his hair, Leslie pushed the gun back into the waistband at his back and nodded towards the window. “He tried to break into the don’s off limits building.”

Kotch frowned. “Why the fuck would he do that?”

Leslie gave him a cold stare. “Didn’t exactly have time to ask him before he attacked me.”

Before any of the other men would get any ideas or started asking questions, Leslie went on, “Get this mess cleaned up and that window lock replaced. I’ll report to the don.”

“What about-”

“Dump him in the river for all I care.”

The men exchanged looks, nobody daring to contradict Leslie. They nodded. “As you say.”

Leslie picked up his cap and left the scene.

Unwilling to head straight to the mansion, he crossed the bridge towards Wall Market and sidestepped into an alley just behind the mansion’s walls before bending over and dry heaving, arm propped against the wall. All colour had drained from his face and his hands wouldn’t stop shaking.

Leaning back against the wall, he ran a hand over his face which came away bloody. Right. He’d forgotten about his nosebleed and part of it was probably Scotch’s.

Wiping his hand on his pants, he put his cap back on and crouched down, burying his face in his arms as he struggled to get his breathing back under control. His stomach was still rebelling too.

A few minutes later and…

“ _Shit_.”

Footsteps had him jumping back to his feet in alarm when he spotted Cloud. His face darkened. “What do you want?” He couldn’t help feeling exposed and defensive. Just go away.

Cloud looked at him quietly but didn’t come closer. “Nice shot.”

The comment was so unexpected that Leslie had to laugh, making a face as his nose hurt. “Thanks.”

“I’d ask if you’re okay but you’re clearly not.” Cloud said, still not moving.

_That obvious, is it._ Leslie clenched and unclenched his hands, wishing they would stop shaking. He almost took a step back when Cloud approached slowly.

“Is your nose broken?”

Leslie reached up, gingerly touching his nose. Everything still seemed to feel like before. “Don’t think so.”

Taking his t-shirt off, Cloud held it out to Leslie. “For your face.”

Reluctantly, Leslie took the proffered shirt, muttering a quiet ‘thanks’. He dabbed at his cheek and nose, eyeing Cloud, now only in his black long-sleeved top, warily. “If it weren’t for your clothes, I’d ask why you’d been sneaking around the mansion.”

Cloud raised an eyebrow. “Maybe that’s just a disguise.”

Leslie snorted, which made his nose hurt again. “Is it?”

The corners of Cloud’s mouth twitched. “Not going to tell you, am I?”

Despite what had just happened, Leslie couldn’t help thinking that he wanted to kiss Cloud. Looking down at the now bloody shirt, he swallowed around the lump in his throat. “Gotta get back to work. My face look okay?”

Cloud looked at him for way too long. “Your face is fine.”

The last thing he wanted was to see Corneo right now but it would be for the best if he heard about what had transpired directly from him. There was no reason for the others to doubt him but if he could minimise risks, it would be best to do so.

“Didn’t need my help taking care of him after all.”

Leslie gave him a lopsided smile, his stomach clenching at the memory. “Told you.”

There was something guarded about the glowing mako eyes.

“What was your eye colour before the mako.” Leslie bit his tongue the moment the question was out.

There was a flicker of unease in Cloud’s face. He seemed to think for a moment. It must’ve been a long time before… “Dark blue,” he said eventually.

Leslie could picture it. He noticed a shallow cut on Cloud’s cheek. 

Looking back down at the bloody shirt, he didn’t know how it happened, but he suddenly found it hard to breathe. His knuckles turned white as he clutched at the fabric in his hands, the ground feeling unsteady beneath his feet and his vision going oddly hazy.

His head snapped back up when he felt someone shaking him and he looked at Cloud with wide eyes.

“What-”

“Hey, are you-”

Leslie felt his head dropping against Cloud’s shoulder as he struggled to breathe. He was dimly aware of someone prying the shirt from his hands and holding on to them instead. There was a buzzing in his ears and he thought his breathing sounded like wheezing instead. He was cold all over.

Memories of what had just happened with Scotch flashed before his inner eyes, causing a painful squeezing in his chest. The realisation how narrowly he’d avoided worse things made it almost impossible to breathe. He was pushing at the flashbacks in his mind as if he could shove them away, hitting his fists at something invisible, clawing his way back to rational thought.

He was fine. Scotch was dead. Whatever could’ve happened, didn’t and never would.

Gradually the outside world came back to him. The buzzing quieted down and air was returning to his lungs. He blinked, disoriented, not remembering when he’d closed his eyes.

“I...” He croaked, not sure what he’d meant to say.

Some warmth seeped back into is hands from Cloud’s and his breathing was returning to normal, making him suddenly very aware of where he was as he looked at Cloud, blinking the last of the static at the corner of his eyes away. At some point his cap had fallen off.

The ex-soldier was watching him closely.

Leslie narrowed his eyes, his thoughts were still all over the place. “What...”

Cloud squeezed Leslie’s hands before letting go and holding on to Leslie’s upper arms instead. “Feeling better?”

Nodding, Leslie pushed a few strands of hair out of his face. “I think so.” He was looking everywhere but at Cloud’s face. “Thanks.”

His stomach still felt funny and his knees a little weak but at least he wasn’t suffocating anymore or thought he was. There’d been one other time when he’d had a panic attack. Another memory flashed before his eyes. A memory from long ago.

Merle’s dead body.

Leslie flinched, his stomach dropping.

“Hey.” Cloud’s hand was warm on his cheek. “C’mon.”

Looking at Cloud, he took a deep breath, nodding. “Yeah… I…” He felt Cloud’s chest rising and falling beneath his hands, the steady rhythm somehow calming him down. 

Leslie took a step back and ran a hand over his face, being once more reminded of his nose. “I think I’m… feeling better now.”

Cloud nodded, not taking his eyes off Leslie. 

“I should go.”

For a moment, he had trouble remembering where he was and where he was supposed to go when everything slowly slid back into place and the last tremors finally stilled in his fingertips. His stomach was still acting up a little, but all in all, he felt a lot steadier and more like himself again. 

“Thanks. Again.”

“You sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” When he saw Cloud sceptically raising his eyebrows, Leslie rolled his eyes and added. “Well enough to not fall over, alright?” 

“Let me give you my number.”

“I can-“

“Take care of yourself, I know. I’m not saying you can’t.” Cloud shrugged. “I can take care of myself too but I still prefer not to go into fights without Aerith.” 

Leslie sighed, pulled the phone from his pocket and swiped across the screen. “Okay, shoot.”

He was too exhausted to protest further and couldn’t really fault Cloud’s reasoning. It couldn’t hurt having his number, especially if they would potentially work together to take Corneo down. 

“You got a last name?”

“Strife.”

“Hmm.” Leslie typed in the number Cloud told him before sliding the phone back into his pocket. Cloud Strife. Dark blue. Hell… he needed sleep more than he thought he did, his thoughts really were all over the place. High time to leave. 

Cloud held his cap out to him, only for Leslie to stare at it before realising it was his. 

“God,” Leslie laughed self-deprecatingly, rubbing both hands over his face only to be reminded once more that his nose still hurt and the skin on his cheek was still chafed. “I swear, I’m feeling better, even if it doesn’t look like it.” He took the cap. 

“Let us know if something’s up, alright?” 

Leslie eyed Cloud. “Why?”

“So we can swoop in and rescue you.” 

Despite the smile making Cloud’s lips curl at the corners, he didn’t look like he was joking. But… why the hell did he care? This was beyond awkward and with what felt like only half his brain working, he really wasn’t up to navigating this particular situation.

Slapping Cloud’s arm as he walked past, Leslie shook his head, expression torn between exasperation and amusement. “Get lost.” 

Cloud’s chuckle had him smiling as he decided on a whim to return to his flat before going to work. 

What the hell was happening? 

The way back to his flat passed as if in a daze. It was a good thing he was literally able to find it in his sleep. The building was tugged away behind one of Wall Market’s many clubs but with the small windows overlooking another back alley, it was quieter than one would expect. 

Pushing the door to the hallway open, he climbed a narrow flight of steps to the second floor. The mail boxes downstairs were overflowing with flyers and bills and the floor was littered with whatever people dropped and never bothered to pick up. He didn’t really care. All he ever did was sleep in his flat, which was small and functional. So who gave a damn about the communal hallway? 

When he reached the top of the stairs, he caught sight of two figures dressed in black. 

They stood in front of his apartment door. 

Leslie froze as they turned around. He’d never seen them before but they looked like trouble. The suits were evidently expensive. They didn’t belong here. Not by a long shot. 

One of the strangers had fiery red hair and a ponytail, the other in contrast was bald and was wearing sunglasses despite the poor lighting in the building. The redhead was carrying a nightstick that sported a familiar looking emblem.

Shinra. 

Shit. Had Corneo fucked something up? Was it too late to run? 

The redhead smiled lazily, glancing at his phone as if to verify something before he said. “Ah, Leslie Kyle. What a lucky coincidence.”

The bald one folded his arms behind his back. “We’d like to have a word.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cloud needs to learn how to switch his damn brain off in certain situations. xD Though surprisingly he takes the initative. Way to go, Cloud. 
> 
> The bit that's written from Leslie's perspective (about Merle) was pretty emotional for me because I could (sadly) draw from my own experience and I just started feeling really sorry for him. I've grown way too attached to my grey-haired baby.

“Merle?”

Leslie woke with a start. 

Sitting up, he looked around the dark room, the only illumination being provided by one of Wall Market’s countless neon signs that shone its light through the window. For a moment he didn’t know where he was. 

He fell back onto the mattress, staring at the shapes the light painted against the ceiling. 

It had been… a while since he’d last dreamed of Merle. He didn’t even remember how long ago. Sometimes he had trouble recalling her face. He would forget what eye colour she’d had or what her nose looked like. The only constant being the vague image of her smile. 

The worst of it was that he couldn’t even feel sad about it. 

Two and a half years ago didn’t seem like such a long time. Certainly not long enough to forget someone he once loved. 

His thoughts jerkily ground to a halt. He thought he saw himself stumbling with them, his knees hitting the ground, the stab of pain and despite not looking, he knew they were bloody and chafed. Like the heels of his hands that had tried to break his fall. 

Didn’t he love her anymore? 

Leslie rolled onto his side, pulling the blanket close and his knees up a little. 

The soft sound of music and the distant murmur of conversations wafted in through the window that he had left slightly ajar. It was too warm at night to close it completely. 

He was only alive because he still needed to avenge her death. That was something, wasn’t it? 

Was that enough? 

Love. 

He still remembered moments when they’d been happy together if he thought about it long enough. But most of the time he would recall what her dead body had looked like, the empty expression in her eyes. That was how he remembered her most clearly and he hated it. 

It wasn’t how he wanted to remember her. 

It wasn’t fair. 

Maybe that was the reason he’d tried to stop thinking about her. 

They had gotten engaged only a few months after they’d first met. Both of them youthfully optimistic that they would escape the hell they lived in if only they were together. It was ridiculous when he thought back on it. But what good did it do to question his feelings of several years ago, now that he thought he knew better? It didn’t make them less real. Instead it only made him feel worse. 

He would kill Corneo. For Merle and because Corneo deserved it. 

Maybe he’d stop thinking of her completely after that. 

Maybe he’d be dead. 

For the longest time, he hadn’t cared but suddenly he realised he was afraid. 

Of what exactly, he couldn’t say. 

Unless he was tortured to death, is own life or death held little meaning for him. Without any plans or aspirations and no living family, he wasn’t afraid of having too little time or worried that his death might hurt someone he cared for. 

It was meaningless in the grand scheme of things. 

Perhaps it was the emptiness that bothered him. His persistent apathy. Shouldn’t he be angry at Corneo for destroying his life, for taking away what little meaning it had? That was no doubt the way he’d felt about it at some point in the past. 

But now? Filling his life with anger and rage was exhausting and ultimately pointless. 

It was hard to tell what being alive should feel like when he couldn’t even recall what it felt like in the first place. 

Leslie sat up cross-legged, rolling the blanket into a ball in his lap and wrapping his arms around it. He wore a white t-shirt with the washed out phrase “Happy families are all alike” and loose dark grey pants. Running a hand through his hair, he tilted his face up to the ceiling.

Sometimes he couldn’t believe he was only nineteen when he felt so much like a hundred-year-old. When had he forgotten what it meant to have fun? 

He thought of Cloud as his eyes strayed to the window. 

The uneasy tightening in his chest, made him rather unwilling to dwell on his… unexpected attraction. He hadn’t been interested in anyone since Merle but then he’d also made a point of staying away from any potential person that might catch his attention. Only he kept crossing paths with Cloud and Aerith. 

Maybe moving up his plans on Corneo would actually work in his favour. Once Cloud and Aerith had gotten what they wanted, they’d leave Wall Market and he wouldn’t have to see them again. 

It would make the problem go away before he needed to worry about it. 

Also there still was the possibility that he might die which would most definitely solve the problem. 

He liked Cloud. For reasons he didn’t quite understand but he wasn’t stupid or in denial about what he felt and he knew Cloud wasn’t indifferent towards him either. 

Which didn’t make things easier. 

Oddly enough, Cloud’s awkwardness made it all the more tempting. 

Leslie rubbed both hands over his face with a groan. 

What a mess. 

Leslie glanced at the gun on his nightstand. 

It wasn’t his gun. Even in the semi-darkness he could make-out the soft ripples of the carbon fibre material. It had felt incredibly light yet sturdy in his hand. Easy to handle, with a simple design, nothing flashy but just from looking at it, he’d known that it was like no other gun he’d ever seen. 

It even had slots for materia. He couldn’t imagine what it cost. No doubt more than the entire flat and everything he owned put together. 

Which brought him back to Corneo’s death. 

The longer he waited, the more people got involved it seemed. He’d told Aerith and Cloud he’d get back to them by tomorrow and from how things stood right now, it would be high time to do so if he wanted to accept their offer to team up. 

But did he? 

Everyone at Corneo’s estate had been tense and uneasy when he’d arrived this afternoon. Apparently one of the Turks had shown up the previous evening when he hadn’t been around. The fact that Corneo hadn’t contacted him immediately afterwards had struck him as odd but there had been no talking to Corneo today. 

He remembered the man’s pathetic blubbering and pleading that Leslie had to save him which had made no sense. Who was he to oppose Shinra? 

But then very little of what Corneo had said had made any sense. Leslie hadn’t even brought up Scotch’s death because nobody seemed to give a damn. What was one more dead thug when Shinra would most likely raze the place to the ground in just a few days. 

For a moment, Leslie had even been tempted to just put a bullet through Corneo’s head. 

In the end he hadn’t because he somehow felt like he owed Cloud something. If nothing else at least the opportunity to question Corneo about whatever they wanted to know. He realised that he’d never thought about what they wanted from Corneo. But then everything he really cared about was that Corneo ended up dead by his hands. 

Who knew how Corneo had managed to draw a third party’s ire. 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------

It was early in the morning when Leslie suddenly showed up on their doorstep. 

Not offering any information on how he’d found them but then he had promised that he would at the Honeybee Inn. That hadn’t just been talk then. 

The expression on Leslie’s face was, for a lack of better words, closed off. That in itself shouldn’t have worried Cloud since Leslie had never been very forthcoming with regards to showing emotions but something about it rubbed Cloud the wrong way. 

“If you want Corneo, you have to act quickly.” 

Both Cloud and Aerith stepped aside to let him in immediately. Glancing back into the hallway, Cloud wasn’t really expecting Leslie to be sloppy enough to let himself be followed but he still preferred to check. 

Cloud leaned against the kitchen counter with crossed arms, Aerith hovering by his side. 

“What happened?”

For the first time, Leslie seemed nervous. “Corneo fucked something up with Shinra. I don’t know what. He wouldn’t say. But it might work in our favour. Only if you can be quick though.”

He gave them a brief rundown of what had happened once he’d shown up at Corneo’s mansion yesterday. Apparently there had been some obscure warning of retribution delivered by Rude. Though Leslie didn’t know the Turk’s name but with Aerith having seen him too and the description Leslie gave, there was no doubt about it having been Rude. He was also the one who could look suitably intimidating while delivering such a message, Cloud thought. Reno would likely be too lackadaisical about it and he doubted Tseng would ever bother travelling all the way to the Slums for someone like Corneo. 

The whys and wherefores of the Turks showing up all of a sudden neither Leslie nor Corneo really seemed to know. There had been some fuck-ups in the recent past that Leslie apparently hadn’t known of because he hadn’t been involved in whatever Shinra had tasked Corneo with. 

Cloud had a suspicion that it might be Avalanche related but he kept that to himself. 

“What’s Corneo going to do?” Cloud asked. 

“He wants to go into hiding straight away and… I didn’t dissuaded him.” Leslie raised his hand before they could protest. “I know where he’ll go. Besides, Corneo’s not messing with Shinra in any case and he knows his little posse of goons won’t do him no good against them.”

“Aren’t you one of his little posse?”

Aerith elbowed him but Leslie only raised an eyebrow. 

“Sure. But I’m here, aren’t I?”

Cloud couldn’t help the smile tugging at his lips. “Fair enough.”

“I gotta go back. I’ll let you know if something comes up.” Leslie made to leave.

“Wait,” Aerith took a step towards him. “So we’ll do this? Together?”

There was a moment’s hesitation and then Leslie nodded. “Looks like it. I don’t want Shinra to get to him first. And… I hate jumping into things without notice.”

“So you need us,” Cloud said.

Leslie scoffed. “I wouldn’t quite go that far. I just don’t like taking unnecessary risks.” At the door he turned back once more. “Mind if I drop by tonight?”

Cloud couldn’t put his finger on what it was but for the first time he thought something about how Leslie dealt with things reminded him of someone. It felt too familiar. 

“Not at all,” Aerith said.

Once the door had fallen closed behind Leslie, Aerith turned back to Cloud. “Shinra showing up certainly complicates things.” She sighed and started pacing. “Do you trust him?”

Cloud looked at her. “No. But we did ask him for help.”

She nodded. “Guess we’ll just have to be prepared for possible surprises.”

There wasn’t all that much they could do in the meantime. Shinra might’ve shot off that warning and would remain idle for the next few days or they might show up the next morning. Whatever Shinra decided to do, Cloud and Aerith couldn’t afford to wait for it. The moment Shinra got involved, there was no guarantee of them still being able to get to Corneo and most importantly getting the information they wanted out of him. 

Apart from that, Cloud would prefer to avoid any confrontation with Shinra at any rate. 

With Leslie knowing Corneo’s hideout, they had a better way of cornering the man alone. And if what Leslie had told them was true that Corneo never took anyone with him down into the sewers, it would certainly make things less complicated. The downside was that they’d have to go through the sewers too and most likely some monsters as well. 

But then… you gain some, you lose some. 

As promised, Leslie returned by nightfall. 

Corneo would take off into the sewers that night. Nobody but Leslie knew about it but the general mood at the mansion had continually worsened ever since Shinra had first paid them a visit two days ago which in turn had caused several of Corneo’s men to leg it already. Not without snatching up some souvenirs on the way out to remember the good old times. 

Men like Corneo didn’t exactly inspire loyalty. 

It was Leslie’s estimate that even more men would be gone by morning which meant that they might be able to simply walk through the front door. Even if not, he’d have another way into the mansion, since the entrance to the sewers was hidden in Corneo’s bedroom. 

It grew late as Leslie explained his plans. There wasn’t anything he hadn’t thought of but then neither of them knew how long he’d been planning to kill Corneo. It certainly worked in their favour. 

Cloud watched Leslie throughout his explanations, noting the obvious exhaustion that Leslie simply seemed to ignore. He was meticulous and Cloud started to see how someone so young had managed to not only rise through the ranks in such a cutthroat business but then also managed to hold onto the position for as long as he had. For one he was more intelligent by a long shot than the rest of Corneo’s merry band and for another he wasn’t distracted by women or alcohol which, even though it didn’t sound like much, was the downfall for most men in Leslie’s line of work. 

He was running a crime syndicate after all and not a pastry shop. 

When Leslie rubbed the bridge of his nose, his exhaustion finally catching up to him, Aerith stood up and announced that she’d be fixing everyone a drink and possibly a coffee. 

Since his minor or not so minor breakdown in the slum’s outskirts two days ago, a gnawing headache had been hounding Cloud, so he definitely wouldn’t be declining Aerith’s offer. The whole thing had him on edge. Why was this happening now when he could least afford it?

“You look great,” Leslie noted, his voice dripping with sarcasm. 

Cloud scoffed. “Could say the same for you.”

“Little too busy to sleep.”

“What, your guilty conscience keeping you up at night?”

Leslie’s smile was nothing short of insolent. “My guilty what?”

There it was again. That uncanny resemblance of… the solution felt close enough that he only had to reach out and grab it but it kept eluding him. 

Leslie took out his phone, tapping the screen a few times before it went dark. “Shit.”

“What is it?”

Shaking his head, Leslie let the phone drop onto the table. “Battery died.”

“We could check if one of us has the same charger,” Cloud offered, still trying to figure out who Leslie reminded him of and why he hadn’t noticed before. 

“Nah, it doesn’t matter.” 

Aerith returned from the kitchen with their drinks and set his down in front of him. “Try.”

Cloud took a sip. “Not bad. What did you put in it?”

“Secret. And you really think so?”

Cloud hid his smile behind the glass. “Sure. Tifa’s are still better though.” Which, as expected, earned him a slap on the shoulder.

Turned to Leslie, Aerith said, “He’s always so mean to me.”

“I think you give as good as you get.”

Aerith threw Cloud a scandalised look. “Can you believe this guy? Why is he taking your side?”

Aerith’s unusual restraint when it came to finding out about his thoughts on Leslie, gave Cloud pause. He’d told her all the important bits concerning their job, of course, but had been purposefully vague on the rest of his conversations with Leslie when she hadn’t been around. Instead of hounding him about it, however, she’d taken up studying him with an inscrutable expression. It was hard to tell if he preferred the nagging questions by comparison. 

Returning to the topic at hand, Leslie said, “We should head out first thing tomorrow. If you’ll be ready by then?”

“Sure.” Aerith had sat back down to Cloud’s right. 

“Alright, um...” Leslie studied his drink for a moment with a neutral expression. 

“Not good?” 

He looked up at Aerith. “Not at all. It’s very good.” Setting the glass back down, Leslie said, “I’d prefer to stay here tonight if you wouldn’t mind.”

Despite the surprise that must’ve shown on both their faces, Cloud actually thought it was a good idea. They’d be able to keep an eye on Leslie which reduced the risk of him double-crossing them and it would also minimize the chance of something happening that would prevent them from meeting up as planned. 

Aerith glanced at him and he nodded. 

“You can take the second bedroom, Cloud’ll sleep on the couch.”

“That won’t be-”

Aerith shook her head. “I insist.”

Cloud shot Aerith a glance and ignored Leslie’s but didn’t say anything. He doubted he’d get much sleep that night anyway, so it really didn’t matter where he’d be awake. 

There wasn’t much else to discuss after that and with the early start they would have, they decided to turn in. 

Cloud frowned at the t-shirt in his hands. It had been Aerith’s suggestion to give Leslie some of his clothes for the night and it wasn’t like he was somehow opposed to the idea but… 

Knocking on the door to the second bedroom, he pushed it open slowly to find Leslie standing at the foot of the bed, having taken his cap and jacket off. His boots stood by the side of the bed. 

“Ah, the shirt.” Leslie looked down as he took it from Cloud’s hands. “Thanks.”

“It might be a little big.” 

The height difference between them was negligible but Cloud’s back was a little wider. He’d changed into a shirt and sweatpants himself, never being able to sleep in just shorts. It was too cold and somehow wearing so little clothing always made him feel oddly vulnerable. What if something happened at night? He didn’t feel like running around in only underwear. 

Leslie smiled lopsidedly. “It’s fine.”

Cloud wished he had the excuse of being drunk when he felt himself fidgeting at their proximity but despite the whisky being fairly strong, he was barely tipsy. All the mako infusions might’ve something to do with it, at least he couldn’t really seem to get drunk since… 

Nevermind. 

He felt another headache coming on. 

“Aerith is glad you decided to help.” Cloud noticed the shadows under Leslie’s eyes. In the half-light the yellow looked like amber, murky and guarded. It was… beautiful. 

Leslie glanced at the window. It was still dark outside but with the plate overhead the sunrise always seemed to reach the slums a little later than it did topside. “Well, we’re using each other, really.”

Cloud couldn’t help the frown as he watched Leslie talk, tone of voice bland and always shrugging or sighing as if it was somebody else’s life he was talking about. 

It seemed surreal that the “incident” with Scotch had happened barely a day ago. Just the memory of it had Cloud clenching his jaw. How could Leslie stand there and shrug it off? Yet he couldn’t bring himself to judge him. He hardly knew enough about him to do that. And it wasn’t like he was the poster boy for dealing with trauma or hardship. 

If you ignored it, it would eventually go away, right? 

“Are you okay?” 

Leslie seemed a little surprised and shrugged, again. “Sure, I have wanted to kill Corneo for-”

“That’s not what I meant,” Cloud interrupted quietly. He could see the hesitation in Leslie’s eyes and posture but little else of what might be going on in the other man’s head showed. 

“Ah,” Leslie sighed. “Well, I wish I could shoot him again but other than that the only thing that got hurt was probably my pride,” Leslie’s tone was bitter. “Well, and my face...” 

There was a bruise on Leslie’s nose, a scrape on his right cheek and for the first time Cloud noticed the cut lip. He clenched and unclenched his fists in an effort not to reach out. Leslie had stuck a plaster over his nose which looked… weirdly adorable? That certainly wasn’t a thought he’d had before. 

Had they stood this close together the whole time? Cloud felt a prickling at the back of his neck and thought how much he needed to leave. Right now. 

Instead he leaned in and kissed Leslie. 

He wished he could say something lofty like, he’d read all the signs and acted on it but he had read exactly no sign. He was terrible at reading people and Leslie’s apathy made it impossible for him to read anything. It was probably safe to say that Leslie didn’t hate him, maybe, but anything beyond that…? 

Which is why he expected to be pushed away immediately and decidedly while his mind was shouting at him to stop because what the hell was he thinking? Too late he realised that this was possibly the worst moment to have a lapse of control when not so long ago somebody else had-

Cloud’s train of thought ground to a halt when he felt Leslie responding to the kiss, almost causing him to draw back in surprise but Leslie’s hand on his upper arm stopped him. His skin tingled at the touch. Reaching out, he pulled Leslie closer, his hand pressing against Leslie’s lower back who leaned further into him. 

Leslie tasted of the gin he’d drunk all evening.

Their kiss was slow and almost cautious as if both waited for the other to react before daring to make another move. Cloud could feel the small scab on Leslie’s lip and their noses brushed when he tilted his head. The slide of Leslie’s thumb on his upper arm left a prickling trace and suddenly he had to think back to the way Leslie had looked at him in the Honeybee Inn when he’d grabbed his wrist, startled and uncertain before all emotion had left his face yet again. 

Cloud still didn’t really understand why Leslie’s withdrawn behaviour and cold stare had drawn him in from the beginning rather than push him away.

The flicker of a tongue against his lower lip dispersed his musings as heat pooled into his stomach. Cloud pulled back but barely, looking at Leslie as he opened his eyes.

"I-” Absurdly, Cloud wanted to apologise but Leslie leaned in again, lips brushing the corner of Cloud’s mouth as he whispered: 

“Don’t start talking or I might start thinking about what we’re doing.” 

And before Cloud could say anything, Leslie was kissing him. He didn’t know if what Leslie had said was good or bad but maybe they could work that out later. 

Splaying his fingers against Leslie’s lower back as he pulled him closer, Cloud reached up to brush his thumb against Leslie’s jaw with his other hand, tilting Leslie’s head just slightly, so they wouldn’t bump noses again. 

The fingers curling against the nape of his neck gave him goosebumps, the shiver that ran down his spine was like a trickle that made his whole back tingle. 

Cloud thought of how he’d been fascinated by Leslie’s pale grey hair as strands of it brushed against his cheeks and forehead. The hair and the yellow eyes that looked like amber in dim lighting. And the other man’s lips when they curled into a smile. The unexpected attraction really had caught him off guard. 

As their kiss deepened, he grew increasingly breathless, feeling almost light-headed. 

Leslie’s mouth was hot against his, his breath ghosting over Cloud’s chin and when finger’s slipped under the hem of his t-shirt, inadvertently or otherwise, the touch jolted him back. Trying to catch his breath, Cloud stared at Leslie, amber eyes dark from how his pupils were dilated. 

This was worse than he’d thought. 

Swallowing, Cloud realised he couldn’t find the words he’d been looking for. 

“Maybe-”

“Good idea.” 

“I-” 

“Let’s not start a discussion,” Leslie smiled indulgently. 

Cloud huffed. “Can I get a word in edgewise?”

They were still so close their noses were almost touching. 

“What’s there to say? I’m not sorry and clearly you’re not either.” 

Cloud wanted to protest but then realised… “You’re right. I’m not.” But so wasn’t Leslie which was a… relief? Good? He really wished he knew the first thing about reading or even understanding people. 

The smile tugging at Leslie’s lips as he watched Cloud was beyond distracting. “Good night?”

Cloud nodded slowly as they finally let go of each other. 

“Good night.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew, took a little longer this time. I'm hoping to update every two weeks but can't promise anything. Hit a bit of a bump in the road that I'm trying to figure out but don't want to say too much, haha. Going down the Tseng/Rufus rabbit hole recently certaintly didn't help either. lol
> 
> But the Wall Market segment of the story will be finished. After that I'll see how my writing process goes, definitely want to finish this story but it's turning out to be a lot longer than originally anticipated, haha. 
> 
> My thanks to **findtherightwords** for betaing this chapter! :) You were a great help and your encouragement means a lot! 
> 
> Thanks for sticking with it all this time! You're comments and kudos are very much appreciated! :D

Cloud wrinkled his nose at the overwhelming stench in the sewers. 

Walking past him, Leslie pointed towards a lattice gate that stood open not far from them. “It’s that way. But there’ll be monsters on the way, like I said.”

Cloud drew the sword from his back and raised his chin into the direction Leslie had pointed. “I’ll take point, you two follow behind.”

Gripping her staff with both hands, Aerith nodded. 

There was chittering and scrabbling not too far off from their position. It was no wonder a place like that would be crawling with monsters. The sewers under the slums were massive and entwined in so many places, nobody really knew where they began or ended. Shinra didn’t even bother to keep them safe and/or clean. With only poor people living down here, who really cared. 

Cloud moved ahead slowly. 

They had set out just before dawn. As Leslie had expected, Corneo’s mansion had been deserted, so they’d gotten in without any issues. The bedroom with the secret entrance to the sewers had been undisturbed and no traces of Shinra anywhere. 

Cloud’s fingers tightened around the sword hilt when he saw movement from the corner of his eyes. 

Scissorclaws and wererats scrabbled around a corner. With Aerith freezing the scissorclaws in place Cloud could make short work of them. The wererats were hardly worth the bother. 

“How far into the sewers is Corneo’s hidey hole?” 

“Five to ten minutes,” Leslie said. “I’ve only been there once but there are some pointers along the way if you know what to look for.” He nodded towards some obscure scratches on the wall. “Like those.”

They encountered several Sahagins further into the sewers which were a pain when they showed up in numbers and they usually did. Cloud wiped away the blood from a shallow cut on his upper arm. The smell was starting to make his eyes water. 

Looking at the putrid water in the canals was enough to turn one’s stomach but smelling it was worse. 

At least the lighting for the most part wasn’t as bad as he’d feared. Corneo must have a way to get to his hideout safely. There was probably a shortcut hidden somewhere. Cloud couldn’t imagine him fighting through all these monsters, no matter how relatively little trouble they gave Aerith and him. 

Leslie stopped in front of a nondescript looking door. “That’s it.”

Cloud would’ve liked nothing more than to just kick the door down but Leslie stopped him. 

“I’ll go in first,” he said while unlocking the door. “There’s more than one way in and out. If he slips through our fingers now, who knows where he’ll go.”

Cloud didn’t like it but saw the sense in Leslie’s words. 

They left the door slightly ajar after Leslie had gone inside, straining their ears for any sound. Aerith wore a grim expression, her lips pursed in concentration. 

If Corneo escaped or died before they got what they’d come for, it would all be for nothing. 

After a moment, they could hear Corneo answering Leslie. So they had found him. That was a start. When the shouting started, Cloud didn’t feel like waiting around any longer and pushed open the door with his shoulder as he stepped into the room, sword drawn. 

Corneo stared at them, his face growing red. 

“Who are you?” He glared at Leslie. “You brought them here.” And suddenly there was a gun in Corneo’s hand, pointing at Leslie. 

A shot rang out, immediately followed by sharp metallic sound as Cloud had stepped in front of Leslie, his sword blocking the bullet. 

Corneo stared at him with wide eyes. “You- You’re a Soldier! Did Shinra-”

“No.” 

Cloud approached him slowly, sword at the ready to dodge another bullet. “Time for a little chat.” He glanced at Leslie. “Get-”

A roar in the distance that grew louder quickly as the ground started to shake, cut him off. 

Corneo’s startled expression turned into a grin. “Let me introduce my little pet!” 

Before Cloud could stop Corneo, the man had slipped behind one of the many crates and something huge burst into the room. He saw Leslie going after Corneo and shouted at him to wait but it was too late. 

The creature that rose up in front of Aerith and him was massive and angry. 

“Shit.” 

Cracks appeared in the ground beneath their feet. Whatever this thing was, it was heavy as well as big and none of them knew if there were more tunnels beneath them. 

“Let’s do this,” Aerith gripped her staff, watching the creature intently. 

When the first wave of sewer water rushed into the room, Cloud thought he would pass out from the stench, barely managing to push Aerith out of the way as he was slammed into one of the crates. 

Their assumption that fire might be a weakness was thankfully proven correctly. But a hit from the monster would at least mean some broken bones so they had to be on their toes. And Cloud couldn’t help glancing at the door through which Leslie and Corneo had vanished. 

Dammit. 

He backed away as the creature lunged for him before rolling under its reach to drive his sword into its left leg. The howl was deafening, even making the ground tremble again. 

Cloud rolled away as the monster turned towards him once more. This tactic usually worked to keep the creatures occupied while Aerith could cast in relative peace. And her fire spells were doing good work to weaken the monster. 

His cracked rib was making itself known at the worst moments. He evaded with another roll, only to stumble at the stab of pain in his side as the chain attached to the creature’s wrists whistled overhead. 

That had been too close for comfort. 

Cloud breathed a sigh of relief when pale green particles erupted around him, numbing the pain of his rib for the time being just as he heard the roar of water again and jumped out of the way of another wave smashing into the room. 

He was slowly but surely running out of patience. 

His next few slashes against the creature’s legs hit hard but every time he barely managed to evade its wild flailing. Being careless now would get them nowhere fast. True enough, Aerith shouted an admonishment at him as she hurled another fire spell straight at the monster’s face. 

Blood was running down the creature’s arms and legs by now but instead of weakening it, it just seemed to grow angrier, charging through the room as it threw its arms around, their reach considerably extended due to the chains. There was barely a moment for either of them to catch a breath. Both Aerith and him were covered in dirt and sewer water and Cloud was sporting quite a few injuries. 

He wiped the sweat from his eyes, gritting his teeth. 

Whatever they had expected in the sewers, this wasn’t it. If Corneo had gotten away on top of that… 

His eyes strayed towards the door again. Was Leslie okay? 

“Cloud!” 

Too late he saw the chain hurtling his way before it slammed into his back and sent him flying into a pile of debris that at least cushioned his fall somewhat. For a moment he couldn’t move, too jarred by the impact of the chain. Cloud rose with a pained grunt, grinding his teeth as he pushed back onto his feet, the hit of the chain smarting across his back. 

“Cloud! Hurry!” 

Bringing his sword back up with a grimace, he looked about for Aerith, only to find her cornered. 

Shit. 

Cloud shouted at her to take cover as he ran into their direction, jumping off the ground just a few metres before the creature and driving his sword into its shoulder. The roar accompanied with the monster starting to flail about wildly once more, had him holding on to his sword for dear life. 

The blood was rushing in his ears and every muscle strained against the erratic movement. 

Another fire spell in the face, gave Cloud enough time to draw the sword out and jump back down, backing away immediately. At least the creature was finally starting to look exhausted. 

Cloud glanced at Aerith. “Are you okay?”

She nodded but looked just as drained as he felt. Casting was exhausting for other reasons than sword fighting was, and he noticed how pale her face had grown but her expression was grim and determined. 

“Let’s get this over with.” 

Cloud strained to smile. “Good idea.”

With the creature now considerably weakened, he had the opportunity to slot a fire materia into his sword before going into another offensive. The elemental connection was as effective as he’d hoped. With just a few more slashes, the monster looked to be on its last leg. 

Aerith had withdrawn a little to ease her magic induced fatigue with an ether before preparing a higher level fire spell. Just from the looks of it, he couldn’t tell if she was going for Fira or Firaga. But if it was Firaga it better take the damn thing out or he’d be on his own for the remainders of the fight. 

When the monster finally did fall, its impact with the ground created another set of worryingly deep cracks. But neither of them could pay it much mind as they stood, fighting for air. Almost simultaneously they both looked at the door on the other side of the room. 

“Let’s go,” Cloud managed to get out between breaths as they set off towards the door. 

They found Corneo cowering in a corner with Leslie pointing a gun at him from a safe distance. 

Cloud released a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. 

Corneo grew pasty at their approach. “How did my Abzu not kill you!?” 

“Time for chitchat is over,” Cloud said, his patience all but used up for the foreseeable future. “We have a few questions and you’ll answer them.” 

Aerith pressed the tip of her staff lightly against Corneo’s throat. “And we aren’t feeling too accommodating today. So you better think twice before lying. Alright?” 

Corneo croaked out a sufficiently subservient answer. 

What a pathetic little man he was, Cloud thought with disgust. 

“Did Shinra tamper with the explosives on the Sector 1 reactor?” Cloud had rested the tip of his sword on the ground, his hands gripping the sword handle. Sitting down felt like the greatest luxury he couldn’t afford right now.

“Wha- what?!” Corneo looked wildly from Aerith back to Cloud. “The reactor? I don’t know!” 

“What about their plans for Avalanche?” 

“A-Avalanche?”

Aerith’s staff jabbed against Corneo’s shoulder. “Stop playing dumb!” 

“I-I don’t know anything about that!” 

With a short glance at Leslie, Cloud took his gun and fired a shot into the ground next to Corneo. “I’m really tired. And really sick of listening to people’s bullshit.”

Corneo held his hands up, quivering all over. “Okay, okay! I-I don’t know much but… they… Shinra was looking for a man with a gun arm...”

Aerith and Cloud exchanged glances. 

“That why your men were snooping around Sector 7?”

Corneo hesitated but then nodded. 

“Go on.”

“They think he’s in Sector 7 but… but they wanted to be sure before...”

Cloud’s face darkened. “Before?”

Corneo wailed. “I can’t tell you! They’ll have my head!”

_No worries, there won’t be much left once we’re done_ , Cloud thought. “How about we save them the trouble?”

“No! Please! Alright… they… there are plans to...” Corneo swallowed, going even paler if that was possible. “Drop the plate on Sector 7 once they… confirm Avalanche’s hideout is there.”

Cloud’s face went slack at the realisation that he wouldn’t put it past Shinra to go through with something insane as that. They didn’t care as long as they got what they wanted. He’d worked long enough for them to know that for certain. 

“How strong are their leads of where Avalanche’s hideout is?”

Corneo scowled but answered without further probing, “They have two leads. Something about a bar in Sector 7 and another… another trail that leads to Sector 3 but I don’t know what they found there.”

So they’d swallowed the bait and were looking into the wrong track he and Aerith had set a few months ago. There were a few other things leading away from Sector 7. It was good to hear that Tifa’s plan was working, it should keep Shinra busy for a least a few months if all went well. 

“What else?” 

Corneo looked from Aerith to Cloud. “I know nothing else.”

Aerith slapped him across the face with her staff. She was just as shocked about Corneo’s revelation as he was. “Another lie and I’ll-”

“No! Alright… okay, I’ll tell you everything! Everything, I promise!” Corneo had started sweating. “They were talking about a spy… in- in Avalanche. But I don’t know if they wanted someone to infiltrate Avalanche or already have or… I really don’t know!”

Something cold twisted in Cloud’s stomach. 

“But because they don’t know where Avalanche is… it made no sense! They don’t tell me everything! Please, I swear!”

There was something nagging at the back of Cloud’s mind. It hadn’t been their mission to ask but… he’d had suspicions for awhile now and… “Is there someone inside Shinra funding Avalanche?”

Corneo seemed aghast. “I know nothing about that! But-but that would make no sense!” 

It didn’t look like he was lying. Dammit. 

Cloud ignored the glance from Aerith and turned towards Leslie. “We’re done here.” 

There was something guarded about Leslie’s face that he hadn’t seen recently. Well, their involvement with Avalanche wasn’t something they’d thought to reveal to Leslie beforehand. He couldn’t really fault the other man for being… what? Surprised? Angry? Cloud couldn’t tell. 

Leslie took the gun from Cloud’s hand wordlessly. 

As he looked down, Cloud’s eyes caught on the gun. He’d seen one like that before. The familiar feeling from before returned to him. The same feeling from when he couldn’t figure out who Leslie reminded him of. That and the gun seemed connected somehow. Why couldn’t he remember? 

Corneo scrambled further back against the wall. “You- you promised!”

Cloud stared down at him coldly. “We did no such thing.”

Both Aerith and him took a step back but didn’t leave the room. Corneo wasn’t to be underestimated. They certainly hadn’t seen that Abzu-thing coming. 

Leslie pointed the gun at Corneo but turned his head towards Cloud and Aerith. “I need a moment.”

Cloud hesitated but Aerith grabbed his arm and pulled him along. He didn’t like this. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Leslie to hold his own but… 

“Leslie, my boy! Why would you-”

Cloud saw Leslie clenching his jaw. What had caused him to hate his boss so? 

“Your boy?” Leslie spat. “Remember Merle?”

Corneo looked at him blankly. 

The laugh from Leslie was chilling. 

It was the last Cloud heard as he let himself be pulled from the room by Aerith and the door closed behind them. A few minutes later, they heard a gunshot from inside the room. 

Shortly after, they were joined by Leslie, who looked pale but otherwise composed. 

“Let’s go.”

The cavernous room in which they’d fought Abzu was a mess. 

“So you’re working for Avalanche.” Leslie’s question wasn’t really one.

“We’re doing this job for them,” Cloud replied neutrally. 

“They-”

Leslie didn’t get to finish his sentence as the ground shook beneath their feet, the former cracks breaking open as the whole room began to tremble and rocks rained down from the ceiling. 

“We need to get out of here!” 

But it was too late. The ground broke away just below Leslie while Aerith and Cloud managed to jump away. 

The tremors had them evading a chunk of the ceiling that came crashing down before they got the chance to go after Leslie. Cloud felt his throat closing up as he stared at the spot where Leslie had stood only a moment ago. He wanted to go after him but the chaos around them had him scrambling for his own life. 

Pulling Aerith aside, they flattened themselves against the wall. 

If more of the ceiling came down... He looked at the hole in the ground, recalling the shock on Leslie’s face before he vanished in front of their eyes. 

Clenching his fists, Cloud scanned the room for another way to get to the lower levels as dirt continued to rain down on them, but the tremors subsided slowly but surely. The second he thought it safe enough to move again, he’d sprinted towards the hole in the middle of the room. 

It was too dark below to see anything. 

Tasting bile at the back of his throat, he jumped down to the closest ledge he could see, hearing Aerith following close behind. Their way down was anything but easy as half the footholds broke apart beneath their weight. If Leslie was down there, it was possible that their descent just buried him deeper. 

Cloud pushed the thought away. 

Now that the sewers were quiet again, there was only their footsteps and his heartbeat. 

The deeper they went, the more accustomed grew their eyes to the darkness but apart from piles of rocks and debris there was nothing to see. Had Leslie managed to get out? 

That was when he saw a head of grey hair and his heart momentarily stuttered to a halt. Cloud jumped to the closest spot he thought he could safely land on before picking his way to where he could see Leslie. Or the part of him what wasn’t buried beneath rubble. 

Please. 

Only Leslie’s head was visible, the rest was covered by debris and rocks. It was hard to tell in the semi-darkness if anything was… if… 

Cloud and Aerith started to remove the rocks, careful not to cause anything else to slide down. 

Leslie wasn’t moving. It was impossible to see if he was breathing but half his face looked oddly dark. 

Once they’d cleared out enough to get to Leslie, they saw that a heavy plate seemed to have blocked most rocks to directly bury Leslie. He might’ve been shielded from the worse. Or so Cloud hoped. One side of Leslie’s face was covered in blood, his hair stuck to his skin. 

Feeling for Leslie’s pulse, several moments passed before he thought he could make it out faintly. 

Aerith crouched down next to Cloud, lifting Leslie’s head into her lap as she cast a healing spell, brushing the strands of hair stuck to Leslie’s face away. The blood was still fresh and it was hard to see where the wound was. Another healing spell illuminated the darkness. 

“I don’t want to go too heavy on the...” She trailed off as Cloud nodded. 

Leslie was breathing and the pulse beneath Cloud’s fingers seemed to grow a little stronger. But with the blood on his face, Leslie looked paler than usual, his lips almost completely colourless. 

“We have to get him out.” 

Only suddenly there were a myriad of voices and footsteps above them.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter at last! And now we know what the Turks' deal is. ;)
> 
> My thanks once more goes to **findtherightwords** for betaing this chapter!

Leslie woke with a throbbing pain in his head. 

Grimacing, he blinked at his surroundings, the static making it hard to get a clear picture. Where was he? It took an inordinately long amount of time for him to realise that he simply didn’t recognize the place. It looked like somewhere in Wall Market or at least the slums but… 

The headache made it hard to think. 

Slowly he reached up and felt the bandage that was wrapped around his head. The pressure behind his temples was excruciating. When his eyes fell on his hand, he saw several cuts and abrasions. 

So he looked the way he felt. Awful. That was a good start. 

Piece by piece his last memories returned to him. The cavernous room in the sewers that was Corneo’s hideout and the ground breaking open under his feet. He remembered the unreal feeling of falling that didn’t seem to end, the flip in his stomach, the shock that seemed to lag behind what was happening. 

The pain exploding at the back of his head before he lost consciousness. 

Leslie’s attempt to sit up was met by a vehement protest of his body in the form of blinding pain which proved very convincing. He let himself fall back into the pillow with a groan. 

A moment later a realisation hit him. 

Corneo was dead. 

Clutching at the blanket, he stared at the ceiling. Corneo really was dead. He’d shot him. There had been no lengthy discussion, no making Corneo apologise or repent. Leslie had known from the start that Corneo most likely wouldn’t even remember Merle or even know that she was dead. 

Killing Corneo was a weight off his shoulder and yet it felt like a hollow achievement. 

If he’d had the chance to kill him right after Merle’s death, maybe it would’ve satisfied his need for revenge but after more than two years… he was just glad it was over. 

It was still hard to believe. 

The door to his room opened and Reno stuck his head in. “Yo, you’re awake.”

It took him a moment to remember what was going on. But slowly things slid back into place. 

The Turks had offered him a job. 

Reno ambled over to the bed, a cheeky grin on his lips. “Man, you look like shit.”

He hadn’t accepted their proposal… yet. 

They’d wanted to take down Corneo for reasons they hadn’t disclosed to him. So close to his goal, he couldn’t let them snatch it away and so he’d tried to stall them. /Give me three day/, he recalled saying. It should have given him enough time to sort things out with Cloud and Aerith and it had. 

“That wasn’t three days,” Leslie said, running a hand over his face. 

Reno chuckled. “Somebody was playing us.” He plopped down on the side of Leslie’s bed. The semi-betrayal didn’t seem to bother him. “But somebody also saved us the trouble of taking the fat pervert out.”

“Who could that have been?” 

The red-haired Turk smirked at him. “Had a good feeling about you from the start. Finally someone who’ll give Tseng some lip.”

Rude appeared at the door, looking decidedly less approving than Reno. 

“Where are we?”

Stretching his legs, Reno looked up at the ceiling with a wrinkled nose. “Some dump in Wall Market. Couldn’t move you all the way up to HQ because of the hole in your head.” He scrutinised Leslie for a moment. “But we’re getting out of here asap. Well, after that mansion goes up in flames.”

“We might’ve had some questions for Corneo,” Rude put in.

Leslie glanced at him. “Did you?”

Looking down at his chafed hands, he considered another attempt to sit up and was relieved when he fared a lot better this time around. There was a short struggle with the pillow as he tried to push it behind his back but after that, he found a position that was halfway comfortable. 

He noticed that he was wearing different clothes. 

“We had some doctors on hand,” Reno said, having followed Leslie’s line of sight. “They sorted you out. Don’t think your clothes made it, though. They smelled like shit. Literally.”

He couldn’t overtly ask about Cloud and Aerith. 

“I’d like to go back to my flat before we leave. Pick up a few things.” 

“Sure, with an escort,” Rude said. 

Reno rolled his eyes. “Don’t worry, you can ditch the lackeys at the door.” At Rude’s disapproving frown, he added, “What’s he gonna do with that hole in his head? Jump through the window and parkour over the roofs of Wall Market?”

Reno’s carelessness certainly made things easier for him, although the Turk wasn’t wrong. He had no intention of running. Where to anyway? His life as it had been was over. 

The Turks’ offer had been unexpected to say the least. 

If they had captured Cloud and Aerith, he figured they would’ve mentioned it to him by now. Still, he’d like to know for sure. But there was no way to find out, at least not right now. 

Avalanche. 

The eco-terrorists. 

He’d not been all that concerned with what kind of info they wanted from Corneo but that definitely hadn’t been an angle he’d anticipated. The madmen who’d blown up Reactor 1 and killed hundreds of people. He could hardly believe Cloud or Aerith were a part of that group, let alone that they might believe in Avalanche’s obscure rhetoric of how Shinra sucked up the life force of the planet. It frankly sounded too esoteric and crazy to take seriously. 

“How are you feeling? Tseng wants to have a little chat at HQ in the morning. Think you’ll be able to make that?” Reno interrupted his thoughts. 

“What time is it?” Leslie hesitated. “What day is it?”

Reno laughed. “We dragged you out of the sewers yesterday. So you were unconscious for a day. It’s around noon now. Still plenty of time to prepare for an interview with the boss.”

So that would be the actual initiation. The whole thing had felt way too casual up until now. He wondered what type this Tseng would be, but he had no illusions about this little chat being anything but an interrogation. 

Though they apparently had been watching him for a couple of months now. 

Short of his ‘connection’ to Aerith and Cloud, Leslie couldn’t think of anything they wouldn’t know about him but even there all that might be required was lying by omission. He’d known nothing of their Avalanche affiliation until they’d questioned Corneo. The question was just if the Turks would believe that. 

Judging by what Corneo had said, Shinra had something big planned for Avalanche. 

He tried recalling the exact conversation but bits and pieces of his memory still refused to come back. Well, the less he knew during his interrogation the better. 

“By the way, what was that huge dead thing?”

Leslie had a hard time concentrating. “What thing?”

“You know, the dead one.” Reno shrugged. “Blue, ugly as fuck. Dunno what else there’s to say.”

“Corneo’s pet.”

“No shit.” Reno leaned in, elbows resting on his thighs. “And who took it out?”

Leslie eyed him cautiously. “I think you know that already.”

A wide smirk spread across Reno’s lips. 

\----------------------------------------------------

“No _fucking_ way,” Aerith breathed as she and Cloud ducked back into the alley way. 

Ever since they’d escaped the sewers, Wall Market had been crawling with all sorts of men and women from Shinra’s Public Security Division, short of actual Soldiers. Even the Turks had put in another appearance. It was obvious that a big clean-up mission was underway. 

The moment Corneo’s whole estate went up in flames, even the last person in Sector 6 had taken notice. 

Whatever the don had managed to fuck up, it was a clear message to everyone who thought about messing with Shinra. Not that there were many people left who still needed that kind of reminder. 

The disbelief almost took Aerith’s breath away as she watched Reno, Rude and… Leslie on the Wall Market side of the bridge to Corneo’s former little centre of operations. A helicopter descended which picked up Reno and Rude. They were too far away and the rotor noise too loud anyway to understand anything of what they were talking about. 

Leslie and two of Shinra’s troopers stayed behind. 

There were no handcuffs and although the two Security Officers looked more like a means to monitor Leslie rather than ensure his safety, nothing pointed to him being taken captive by Shinra. He was even wearing the characteristic black suit of the Turks. None of his old clothes, cap included, remained. 

Could he have been with Shinra the whole time? 

No. That made no sense. He could’ve called in the Turks a lot earlier to capture them if that was the case. Why wait all this time until they got to Corneo? But how… or more importantly when…? 

Aerith glanced at Cloud, who watched the scene unfold before them with a stony face. 

_Leslie what are you doing?_

Amidst the confusion, she felt anger bubbling up inside of her. She just knew Cloud would walk away from this without seeking any answers despite his feelings. That’s just how he was. And she couldn’t really fault him. If Shinra got their hands on him again, chances were he wouldn’t survive it. 

True to her suspicions, Cloud turned away. “Let’s go. We’ll lie low until things have calmed down.”

Leslie and the troopers vanished into an alley way. 

She wasn’t carrying her staff with her but a dagger – courtesy of Tifa – was strapped to her thigh. It could even equip materia. The thing must’ve cost a fortune but then she had asked for something practical for their one year anniversary. 

“You know what, go ahead. I’ll catch up.” 

Before he could stop her, Aerith took off, ignoring Cloud calling after her. 

_I am doing this for you, you know._

After this was over, she’d really change her style to something more practical. Jessie had a great outfit going, sturdy, just enough protection and great mobility. She’d definitely ask for pointers.

Ducking in and out between various stacks of boxes, billboards and other junk, she made it to the alley that Leslie had taken. Just in time to see them turning into another alley too. She left a good distance between them. Chances were she’d be able to take those troopers out but with the Shinra presence in Wall Market right now, reinforcements wouldn’t take long to arrive. 

Pressed against the wall, Aerith peeked around the corner, watching as Leslie entered a building, the troopers following behind. She waited a few moments, checking the building for any windows that opened out to the alley in case Leslie or his entourage passed those and saw her approach. 

Once the air was clear, she crept down the alley way carefully but quickly. She pushed the door open quietly but upon seeing the narrow staircase that led up to the second floor, she wasn’t filled with hope. 

How would she get up without getting seen? And more importantly, how would she get back out? 

There were voices from above, confirming that Leslie had gone upstairs. At the approach of footsteps, Aerith squeezed into the space beneath the stairs. Dust rained down on her as the troopers descended and she pressed both hands against her mouth to stop from coughing. 

The Security Officers positioned themselves just outside the building but left the door open. 

_Great._

Taking a deep breath, Aerith scooted back out, eyes glued to the troopers’ backs as she climbed the stairs backwards with excruciating caution. Carefully feeling each step before she put any weight on it. 

It took ages to reach the top and if during that time either of the troopers had so much as glanced back into the hallway, she would’ve had no way to hide. Luckily, nothing of the sort happened and she reached the second floor without incident. 

The door to one of the flats stood open and she could hear noises from within. 

Her eyes fell on the name plate on the door that read ‘Kyle’. 

_Alright, here goes nothing._

Stepping into the one room flat that reminded her of Cloud’s and Tifa’s flats at Stargazers Height, Aerith closed the door behind her and locked it. 

Leslie turned around at the sound of the door closing. If he was surprised to see her, it didn’t show. 

“Long time no see,” Aerith said with a sweet smile, the dagger in her hand hidden behind her back. 

He watched her with a guarded expression. “Aerith.”

“I have a few questions, if you don’t mind.” She didn’t wait for him to reply. “Like, how long have you been working for Shinra? Or did you try to set us up in the sewers? Or what is fucking wrong with you?”

If she weren’t so angry, she would’ve felt sorry for Leslie because he looked awful. The bandage around his head was about as white as his face, except for where he had bruises and cuts. She remembered how worried they’d been for him when they’d found him half-buried beneath a mountain of rocks. 

There was so much she wanted to say but for none of it was this the right time and place. 

Leslie pushed his hands into his pants’ pockets. “I’m not working for Shinra. Not yet anyway… The Turks offered though.”

It made so much sense. Aerith studied him. “In exchange for our capture?” She didn’t really believe that but she wanted to hear him say it. 

“No. I’m not sure they even know that you’re in Wall Market. They were after Corneo but… I didn’t want them to beat me to it. So I stalled them but something must’ve tipped them off.”

“The Turks aren’t known to keep their promises.”

Leslie looked at her for a long moment. “How’s Cloud?”

The question took her by surprise. “He’s… fine.”

Leslie nodded. 

“Are you really going to join the Turks?” She shook her head before he could answer. “They’re hunting Cloud, you know.” 

“Because you’re Avalanche?” Something hardened in Leslie’s eyes. 

“No. Because he left.” Aerith drew the dagger from its hiding place, seeing Leslie tense. Pulling up her skirt, she slid it back into its sheath. “I can’t say more than that. You’ll have to ask him yourself.”

Leslie remained silent. 

“I can take a message to him if you want.”

Leslie exhaled heavily through his nose, a humourless smile tugging at his lips. “What’s there to say? He won’t believe that I didn’t betray you anyway.” 

“You could’ve told us-”

“Why?” He snapped. “Did you tell me about Avalanche? No. So, let’s drop this whole honesty thing. We were using each other to get what we wanted, not to make friends.” 

His words made her angry all over again but he was also right. They’d been grateful for his help but neither she nor Cloud had completely trusted Leslie. It came with the territory. That didn’t stop her from having come to like him. Maybe they could’ve left for Sector 7 together. Maybe they could’ve become friends. Leslie wasn’t a bad person, she didn’t think. 

She thought back to her time ‘with’ Shinra and what she knew of the Turks. 

“Don’t straight out lie to Tseng,” she said, knowing it would be Tseng Leslie had to go through before actually being able to join the Turks. “Lie by omission or give him half-truths, if you must. But everything else he’ll pick up on.” She wondered how Tseng was doing and why she was helping Leslie to join the enemy.

“And you know this how?”

Aerith smiled wistfully. “We go way back.” She shook the trip down memory lane off. A lot of unfortunate circumstances had let them all to where they were today. Nothing that could be done about it since resigning from the Turks wasn’t an option. Though she doubted that Tseng would if he could. Quitting wasn’t his style. “Are you leaving today?”

“That’s the plan.”

Nodding, Aerith pushed away from the door. “I guess they’ll keep a close eye on you for a while but…” 

Leslie frowned at her. 

“If you can get away...” She stepped up close, grabbing his upper arm. “Come to Sector 5 in two weeks. Elmyra’s house. She’s my mother. You can’t miss it, it’s behind the orphanage, lots of greenery and flowers. We’ll be there.”

“Why?”

“Really?” She pouted in exasperation. “You’re telling me, you don’t want to see Cloud again?” There was a telltale flicker of something in Leslie’s eyes. _Only so much you can hide up close_. “Look, do what you want after but don’t leave it like this. You will come if you can, alright?”

The golden eyes really were beautiful. Now if only the man weren’t such a piece of work. 

“I’ll try,” Leslie said reluctantly. 

“Great. I’ll make sure Cloud won’t kill you on sight.”

Leslie scoffed.

“So,” Aerith looked around. Going back down the stairs wasn’t very appealing. Especially since there would be no way to slip past the Security Officers. 

“There’s a window big enough to climb through in the bathroom.” Leslie sighed. 

“Thanks.” Moving to the bathroom, she stopped and turned back. “I’m glad, you’re okay.”

Leslie opened his mouth, hesitated, then said, “You too.”


End file.
